Collars
by Silverstream5683
Summary: Nick has lived his entire life being a con artist. When he has a run in with a wannabe cop bunny his life spirals. Follow him as he rediscovers himself and unravles a mystery that threatens to throw Zootopia into chaos. Along the way he finds love and friendship in the most unlikely place.
1. Chapter 1

**Ch1** **Not what is expected**

 **I've seen several Ship fics since the movie came about, but I wanted to do something different. As many of you may know there was another plot to this movie with Nick as the main character where all the predators wore electric collars to keep their aggressive instincts subdued. Well, I want to tell that story as I think it might have played out. Anyway, hope you might enjoy.  
**

Zootopia is a vast brimming metropolis where all animals can live in peace. The city is made up of sectors that give each animal his or her own element to reside in, from a frozen wasteland to tropical rainforest. In the very center is the main city where all animals can come together. It is here where the city becomes one and here where life is meant to be amazing. At least, that is what everyone wants to believe.

In downtown Zootopia where the buildings are not as beautiful and the streets grimier, there is a fox standing on a street corner fingering the leather strap that is secured around his neck. The collar he has been forced to wear since his fifth birthday has become increasingly itchy on the warm summers day. This city is split between predators and prey. Predators like himself have been forced to wear these horrible leather collars. They were to make sure predators wouldn't fall back on their instincts and start killing prey and throw off the precious peace of Zootopia. Any predator found without one is arrested and shipped off to a facility that most predators are terrified of because no one knows what happens to those who go there. The collar has been around since the Fox has a memory and as he satisfies his itch he smooths his Hawaiian shirt and straightens his tie as he sees a van driving down the street and come to a halt in front of him. The window rolls down and a very tiny Fox pops his head out the window his huge sunglasses slipped down so his eyes peek over the top of them.

"Hey Finnick, what's up," The red fox says a huge smile on his face as he throws his hand out for a handshake.

Finnick doesn't return the handshake but motions for the Fox to get in the van. "Hurry up Nick, we've got a job to do," He says as he pushes his sunglasses back on and turns his music up waiting for his companion to get in.

Nick walks around the front of the van and pulls open the door and hops in. Looking over at Finnick he can see the small fox wearing a ridiculous baby elephant outfit. "The popsicle job," He asks.

"Yeah," Finnick responds without looking over as he throws the van into gear and they speed off into the upper parts of Zootopia where they hope to pull a job and make a bit of money that day. Along the way Nick keeps his eyes focused on the passing buildings when they come to a stop at a red light and a large T.V store has all their televisions set to news channels and he sees a bunch of missing mammal cases. Each one was a predator and no one knows where they went, but Nick knew better than that. All the time a predator will go missing and the authorities will find their collar torn off and the animal completely was gone. All predators suspected that the government had been picking off predators and dragging them away to whatever facility they take predators that break the law. It seemed that these cases were different cause the collars were never found. Nick always wondered why they didn't just use the chips in the collars to find the missing animals, but even that seemed to have a cover up since the authorities said it's a possibility the collars were tampered with. Nick knew it was a bunch of elephant dung, but he couldn't do anything about it so he usually kept his mind on the current job.

Today's job with Finnick took him to an elephant ice-cream shop. As the drove up to the shop, they parked around the corner and Finnick threw his glasses on the dash and pulled the hood of the stupid outfit up, an elephant head with a trunk, and Nick made sure it looked convincing. "Yeah it looks stupid, but everyone will think you're a kid so don't worry too much about it," Nick said adding the last part quickly when Finnick gave him a very sour look.

"Yeah I bet you'd be on your tail laughing if I wore this crap around for the heck of it eh," he said cracking his neck and pulling at his own collar "Gah wish it didn't catch on this thing."

Nick chuckled but he remembered a long time ago when he was young. Even then the collars were mandatory for even the youngest. Well, all except babies and toddlers. When you turn five you have to get the collar and every year after that you go into a special government building a lot like a hospital to get it replaced and updated. All the bigotry around predators centered on these collars. The predators that rose above the bigotry held some pretty powerful positions in the government. Their own mayor was a predator, but they all knew he was just a puppet.

Nicks train of thought derails as Finnick clears his throat "let's go, man I ain't gonna wear this all day," and with that, he slips out of the van and waits impatiently for Nick. Nick slips out of the van and with Finnick beside him he slips in-between larger animals that are trotting down the sidewalk and he quickly slides into the ice-cream parlor with Finnick. They step in line and wait behind several elephants that quickly get their ice-cream and sit down. When it is their turn Nick looks up at the elephant behind the counter and smiles.

"What do you want _Fox_ ," the elephant emphasize that last word with a little contempt.

Nick gives a fake nervous chuckle "Well sir you see it's my son's birthday and he really wants to get some ice-cream," Nick says then to Finnick he says "well son what kind of treat do ya want?" Finnick stumbles up to the glass and points to a large picture of a cheery flavored ice pop. Nick smiles "can I get one of those?" he asks.

The elephant laughs coldly "No, get out fox," He says and after Nick doesn't budge he points his trunk at a sign sitting on the counter "Do you see this. It says I have every right to refuse service to anyone now beat it."

Nick opens his mouth to retort, but to his pleasant surprise, a voice chimes in before he can say anything. "Sir I'm sorry, but as you can see I'm a cop." Nick turns to see who came to his aid and keeping his surprise at seeing a little bunny walking up to the counter he suppresses a chuckle. "I'd love if you could kindly help this man and his child."

"And why should I do that bunny," The elephant says glaring down at her

"Well I mean I guess your clients wouldn't like to know they're getting snot in their ice-cream," She says and instantly all the customers spit out the ice-cream they are eating. "I'm sure you well know that it's illegal to serve food with ungloved trunks, and seeing as I'm a cop I could easily write you up for health violations." The elephant gives a rather audible gulp as the bunny continues talking "I could just let you off with a warning…if you would serve this customer."

Nick is actually speechless at how well this bunny handled this situation and admires her ability with words. After a second, he clears his throat and looks up at the elephant with an expecting look. The elephant sighs "fine the jumbo pop is twenty-five dollars," he says and holds his trunk out for the money.

Nick is about to pull out his wallet when he remembers the bunny standing there and smiling inwards he pretends to pat his pockets and then groans "Oh no come on," He says and puts his paw to his forehead looking defeated "I'm so sorry but I forgot my wallet at home."

"Now you can get out," The elephant says but just as Nick expected the bunny had pulled out the money and hops up and slaps it on the counter. Minutes later Nick is hoisting the huge jumbo pop out of the parlor with Finnick and the bunny in tow. As the three of them step out onto the sidewalk nick turns to the bunny. "Thank you so much I'm sorry, I can't repay you right now," He says with his very skilled fake sorrow voice.

"Don't worry Mr...Uh?"

"Call me Nick," He tells her "You?"

"My name is Judy Hopps," She says smiling and looking down at Finnick "Not much of a talker is he."

"No he doesn't like to say much, but anyway have a good day ok." He says and hoisting the Popsicle onto one shoulder and shakes the bunny cop's hand and then he and Finnick set to work as they walk back to the van. The van has a large freezer in the back of it and they stow the popsicle in it then drive into the hottest biome of the city and pulling the pop out they melt it down into several large buckets and with those buckets they drive to the arctic biome and chose a large area with flat snow where Finnick sets to putting as many paw prints in the snow as he can with Nick pouring small amounts of the melted ice pop into each paw print. Before they all freeze Nick and Finnick put Popsicle sticks in each print. With all this done their job is half done. They set up a Popsicle stand next to a rather large lemming business corp. When the gerbils catch sight of the popsicles the all come to buy one and once all the pops are gone they all throw their sticks into a recycling bin. Finnick is waiting to gather all the buckets of popsicle sticks and they haul them off to a small construction site where mice are building homes and sold the sticks to them "Why is it red you ask," Nick says "well its red wood of course." All in all, they make several hundred dollars that day without having to spend a dime.

Nick waves Finnick goodbye as he pockets his cut of the money and turns around and comes right face to face with the bunny cop, Judy. "Hello cotton tail," He says chuckling. He knew he wasn't going to be able to bull crap himself out of this if she just saw Finnick drive away.

"Don't cottontail me you," She says her foot thumping against the ground at increasing speed "you lied to me. To that elephant." She looked like she was about to burst with rage.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nick lies casually as he makes an attempt to step around Judy and she blocks his way again.

She holds up a finger "I should arrest you," She says

"For what," He says coolly.

"Well for one, you were selling food without a license, and oh how about selling that wood to the mice telling them it was redwood."

Nick is one step ahead of her on this as he whips out a piece of folded paper and showing it to her "here is my license and I didn't say it was redwood I said it was red-wood. There's a space between those words you see." He says and then successfully steps around her and begins to walk off with her in pursuit.

"Don't you dare walk away from me," she says bounding after him "how can you just stand there and lie to someone."

He stops and looks back at her and smiles "Well it's called a hustle cotton tail," he says "now go play cop somewhere else." With a wave of his hand he sets off again, but his last words seemed to spark a rage in the rabbit as she runs after him and plants herself in front of him.

"How dare you insult me you sly coward," she says with anger in her voice "I am not just a pretend cop I'm the real thing so don't just go throwing insults around like that."

"Well bunny let me fill you in on something about the world," Nick says leaning in close "You are just a bunny and this world eats prey like you for laughs. So just run off I think I hear some meters calling your name." with this he turns down an alleyway and leaves the bunny standing there with a shocked look on her face.

Nick soon finds himself back in the same grimy area of Zootopia again as he pushes his apartment door open and shuts it. The lock clicks and he goes and sits down turning on the T.V and sees the same news flash of missing animals. He sighs flipping through the channels and then he feels the same unbelievable itch around his neck and he begins to slip his finger behind the collar and scratch it. His hatred of the collars rose up for a moment and he was tempted to cut the damn thing off and throw it away and try to hide until the cops gave up looking for him, but he knew it wouldn't work. They'd find him. They always found the defects. He looks over at a picture on the wall and sighs flipping the T.V off and walking over to it. The picture is of him and his mother. She has her hand on his shoulder and he is wearing a faded outfit of the Junior Ranger Scouts with their logo patched on the left chest pocket. He only kept the picture because his mother was in it. She had disappeared one day when he was all grown up and out of the house. He never found her and eventually believed her dead. With this depressing feeling crushing him he looked away from the picture and slumped off to bed. He fell into it fully dressed and closed his eyes as the words he spat at the bunny surface in his mind. "You are just a bunny and this world eats prey like you for laughs." It echoes in his head as he eventually falls off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch2 Life of Lies**

 **Wow, I'm so pumped at continuing this I decided to write a follow-up chapter not even half a day later. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying this little romp through Zootopia's plot line but along a different set of tracks. Oh, and I would love to add a cover art to this story so if anyone could help with that I'd love to hear from you. Just pm me if you can. Anyway, without any more hesitation here is the second chapter of Collars. Enjoy.**

Sunlight drifts through the dusty air in Nick's bedroom and strikes the Fox's face making him stir. His eyes fly open and he is gasping for breath scratching for some invisible thing he thinks is covering his face. When he clutches just the fur on his muzzle and he notices it was all a nightmare he awoke from he takes a deep breath and buries his face in his paws. After a few moments of slow breathing, the fox drags himself off the bed and out of his small room and into the bathroom. He turns on the water and after a few seconds of gurgling noises, the water flows out of the faucet and into his open paws. Splashing his face he looks into the dirty mirror and lifts his chin to see the collar.

The groove of the collar has matted the fur it has compressed for years and sometimes will cut into his neck a little. He usually just rubs his neck with lotion when it gets that bad, but that only happens when the air is really dry. Once he has fully woken himself Nick walks down the short hall and into the apartment's living room and from there into the small kitchen that is attached. He pulls open the fridge and digs out a bag of blueberries and begins to eat them. After finishing off half the bag he shoves it back in the fridge and grabs a can of soda and closes the door and goes to sit down on the couch and watch TV. Just then he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulls it out. "Finnick," he murmurs and presses the answer button.

"Yo yo yo Nick I've got this awesome idea for a job to get some extra cash," Finnick's voice explodes on the other end. Nick gives him a second to continue speaking before he answers.

With a swig of drink down his throat he takes a breath "Well Finny let's hear this brilliant plan," Nick says with an air of mock curiosity. Usually, he was the one to plan the jobs and Finnick was the sidekick, but he decided to hear Finnick out.

"Don't call me that Nick you know I hate that," Finnick growls back across the line "anyway, I was thinking we could nick some cash if I pretended to be a baby and we could go about buying some really good items at lower prices cause you'd be a single father who has low income. Yeah, then we could sell them at the original prices but make it look like a bargain. We could make a pretty penny doing that."

Nick sighed softly so Finnick couldn't hear it over the phone and then with a shake of his head "you know what yeah let's do that," Nick was feeling pretty burnt out from having all those weird dreams last night that he just wanted to do something and decided to give Finnick's plan a go. With that answer, Finnick tells him he'd come pick him up in an hour and hangs up.

Nick sighs again and slips the phone into his pocket and slumps down on the couch to watch some TV. As per usual he randomly flips through the channels and the finds himself stop on the news again. The same old story of missing animals splays itself across the screen and nick throws his head back in annoyance. He was so tired of seeing this news report but listened to it anyway.

A young lioness with the same brown collar as Nicks visible beneath her chin was sitting there as the camera focuses on her. "In later reports we regret to inform you that authorities still have no leads to where the missing animals have gone," She says.

Nick laughs coldly "yeah, of course, they haven't they never have and never will," He rolls his eyes as the lioness continues.

"Gazelle has become very outspoken on this matter telling reporters that she has begun to fund the effort and has been speaking with the missing animals' families," The lioness' voice is cut off as a video recording of Gazelle appears on the screen.

The dashing popstars lips move and then sound plays "I only wish to see these poor families have their loved ones back," She says to the camera "I may not know what it is like to suddenly have someone close to me go missing, but it does not mean I can't understand," her worried look bores into Nicks bad attitude and he softens up as she disappears and the lioness reappears to report on the weather.

Flipping the TV off nick stands up leaving his half-finished soda forgotten as he unlocks his door and walks out into the hall pulling his key out and locking the door behind him. He turns to walk down the stairs when a small weasel walks around the corner and stops looking up at him. "Duke," Nick says coolly as the weasel narrows his eyes at him. Without words Duke walks straight past nick and around the corner and the sound of a door unlocking, opening, and closing is heard.

Nick exits the building and looking left and right to see if anyone is walking down the street he pulls his phone out and, lifting it up, snaps a pic of himself. A stupid habit he has fallen into the past few years. He didn't know why but he loved to take selfies. The stupid trend started a few years ago and he joined along but never posted anything online. He just had thousands of pics of himself, and sometimes Finnick logged in his phone. He swiped his finger up and hundreds of his past selves looked up at him. All wearing a stupid smile, but all had a sad tinge in their eye. He usually hid his feelings behind a mask. A life of lies is what he always called it, but he made more money than any rich jerk sitting in a penthouse of Zootopia could ever dream of seeing. He just kept it secret and hidden.

He pulls out a set of headphones and plugs them into his phone and putting them in his ears he listens to Gazelles latest hit track. He begins to walk aimlessly as Gazelles' voice sings into his ears. The downtown of Zootopia was not a friendly place, but Nick knew where to and where not to go even in his aimless walking. He soon found himself standing outside a three-story building and look up at the faded sign it read "Junior Ranger Scouts HQ" the lettering was faded to almost nothing and the building itself was condemned. He stares for a second and then continues onward until the hour is almost up and then lumbers back to his apartment building.

As he approaches he sees Finnick's van parked on the curb and a rather irritated Finnick standing leaning against the passenger side door. "Yo man where the heck were you I told I'd be here in an hour," The short fox says looking up at Nick who was taking out his headphones.

Nick chuckles "ah Finny always so impatient I was just having a nice stroll around town," He says as the smaller fox growls at the nickname.

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That," Finnick says through his teeth and then patting his shirt down he turns around and walks to the back of the van and opens the doors. Nick follows him and looking inside he sees a pink stroller as well as baby clothes hanging on a hook on the wall of the van.

Nick snorts at the sight and doubles over laughing before Finnick gives him a very dirty look "ok, ha-ha, you want to dress up in that and have me pretend to be your single father," Nick slaps his knee and lets out a fit of laughing again. Finnick punches him in the leg and Nick straightens up wiping tears from his eye "ok buddy let's do that. Daddy would love to push wee little Finny around in a stroller."

Finnick lets out a very annoyed noise and slams the doors shut "Just get in the damn van before I hurt you," Suddenly Finnick tenses up as his collar lets out a sharp beep and he stops dead in his tracks and takes deep breaths. Nick stops laughing and looks down at his friend concerned "it's ok it's nothing just a warning." Finnick seems a bit shaken up by this but he walks around and hops in the driver's seat.

Nicks' face hardens at what just happened. The collars are designed to only administer a shock if the predator exhibits violent behavior so he knew why Finnick's collar beeped, but it didn't do anything to lighten his mood at what just transpired. He pulls himself into the passenger side seat and buckles up casting a glance at Finnick as he turns the engine over and the van roars to life.

Soon he finds himself strolling Finnick along as they find places to go in to try and solicit bargains for everyday items that they could sell back to people. They had very little luck for most of the day and when they were making their way back to the van Nick saw a very unwelcome sight as the bunny from the previous day passed him riding along in a small golf cart with flashing lights stuck to the top of it. He tried to ignore her as she called out to him and continued walking, but this proved fruitless as the bunny spun the cart around and drove it up onto the sidewalk, which it fit quite easily on, and stopped him dead in his tracks.

"I said stop," she says with a very stern look in her eyes.

Nick sighs and looks at her "look I wasn't doing anything illegal yesterday," He says as she gets out of her cart and walks around to face him. Finnick is peaking from behind the strollers covering at the bunny cop.

She shakes her head "this has nothing to do with yesterday," She says "I need your help in solving one of the missing animal cases," She pulls out a picture of an otter with glasses on, and the iconic collar albeit smaller resting on his neck.

Nick sighs "Can't help you I've never seen him in my life," he says and tries to push the stroller past her but she stops him.

She points to something in his hand "See that it's one of your stupid pawpsicles," She says "I know you saw him."

"Listen carrots I sell those things to probably a hundred different animals," He says "you don't expect me to know every single one of them do you?" He again tries to steer past her but she stops him. This time, she closes her notepad and sighs.

"I could just arrest you for something," She says "You aren't clean as a whistle."

Nick laughs at this "Look meter maid I could probably buy the best lawyers in this godforsaken city and slip through anything you throw at me," He says "now leave me alone or I'm going to put in a complaint about harassment."

"You have money," She says simply "by the looks of it, you've probably got a buck twenty in your pocket right now" she emphasizes her words by clicking her stupid little carrot pen at him.

Nick takes particular offense at this and with a sigh "I've been making over two hundred dollars a day since I was 12 and what do you make," he says "by the looks of it probably nine an hour and that's generous Rookie."

She lets out a soft chuckle "wow two hundred since you were twelve," she says "and with permits too. Now, you wouldn't happen to have paid any of your taxes on that two hundred a day?" she flips open her notebook and begins to scribble things down on a blank page and then laughs "wow just being generous I'd say this past year alone you'd probably owe somewhere in the ballpark of twenty thousand dollars if you haven't been keeping up with your taxes hmm." She eyes him with a very winning look "You do pay your taxes for that permit and all those pawpsicles your sell right?"

Nick chuckles nervously and tugs at his collar "well I uh…" for once his smoothing talking demeanor melts away and then something comes to mind "who's gonna listen to a meter maid that can't even find a solid lead on one missing animal that she has to come to some low life con artist for help." He shoots his own winning grin back at her as his confidence rises again "it's your word against mine."

She clicks her pen again and suddenly his voice fills the air "I've been making two hundred dollars since I was twelve…" and it continues on to the rest of their little conversation. She smiles "well actually it's your word against you," her words cut what little confidence Nick had mustered away "don't look sad it's just, what did you call it, a hustle."

Finnick pushes the stroller covering back revealing himself clad in a pink bonnet and pink onesie and he begins to laugh loudly "she got you, good bro, oh my.." he hops out of the stroller and laughs harder "looks like Nicky boys gonna be a detective now huh." Finnick begins to walk past Judy still laughing "don't worry bro I'll scrounge up some money and pay you a bit for getting hustled so hard today." Finnick's laughter and general apparel attracts some attention their way and Nick sighs and looks down at Judy.

"Help me and this pen is yours," she says simply and holds the photo of the otter back up to him.

This day went from bad to worse really fast for Nick as he looks down at the picture and then back at Judy. 'What have I gotten myself into,' he thinks to himself. "Fine, carrots," he says "looks like you've got a deal." And with that, they shake hands and Judy hops back in the golf cart and nick slides down next to her surprised he could fit anyway. Looking back down at the picture he sighs "Well I think I know where to start looking," he says and points to something on the otter's shirt.

"Well off we go then," Judy says and pulls the cart back onto the road.

Nick leans his head back as his mind reels from what just happened. His carefully crafted life of lies seemed to be melting around him as he found himself helping a cop. On the upside, it seemed like someone was trying to find the animals and maybe he could find out what was really going on. Or he could just stall the bunny long enough for her to lose interest in him and let him go…with the pen of course. What a day this has been for Nick and it was hardly past one.


	3. Chapter 3

**CH3 On The Hunt**

 **Well, this one is a bit longer. I really wanted to diverge from the main storyline of the movie eventually and this chapter and the next are probably gonna do that. Anyway here is the third chapter of Collars I really hope you enjoy it and I have to say this one was a bit difficult to write cause I wanted to make most of the characters feel different from the movie so as to put my own spin on this universe since it is a bit darker than the movie. Anyway, again enjoy and review it once yer done.**

Nick soon finds himself standing outside a rather large building with plain looking brown double doors. "Well carrots this is where that otter was the day he bought that pawpsicle," Nick says waving his hand at the building.

Judy looked up at it and then at Nick "how do you know that," she asks and Nick points at the background of the picture where the same brown doors are.

"I had the pawpsicle stand set up right over there," he says throwing a thumb over his shoulder "that camera right there probably is where you got this picture from." He then points at a traffic camera across the street attached to a building.

Judy looks over at the camera then back at the building "ok then well we might as well check then," she says walks up to the door and puts her weight on it. The door is too heavy for her to budge it open so Nick walks over and pushes against it too and it creaks and swings inward. Judy walks into a dimly lit room and then towards a curtain of beads that are on the opposite wall of the room.

Nick slowly follows as the door swings shut behind them. The room is stifling hot and he pulls at his collar as the itch makes it reappearance. He jammed his finger behind the collar as he followed Judy through the beads. The itch was driving him crazy and his skin beneath his fur was beginning to get sore. Judy didn't seem to notice him as she walked straight up to the only other animal in the room.

The animal in question was a rather dirty looking yak sat behind a high counter who was chanting loudly to himself. "Sir," Judy asks and he chants louder and she gets a frustrated look on her face and she walks straight up to the counter and taps on it loudly "Sir hey can you hear me?"

The yak stops chanting and with a huge cough pulls his hair out of his face sending a shower of dust and flies down onto the bunny, who steps back in disgust shaking as much of the dirt out of her face as she can. "Whoa there little friend I'm sorry bout that," the yak says slowly as he looks down at Judy.

"It's quite alright," Judy says as she approaches the yak again, this time, more cautiously "I just wanted to know if you could help me find a missing animal." She pulls out the picture of the otter and places it on the counter for the yak to look down on.

Nick has lost all interest in the proceedings and it currently busying himself in scratching the itch when he feels a sharp pain in his neck and yanks it out with a sharp intake of breath. He cautiously feels under the collar again and feels the sore that he created from his constant scratching. He knew that would happen eventually and now has to deal with his collar rubbing the sore even rawer. As he adjusted his collar he heard his name being called.

Nick turns around to see the yak has come around the counter, completely naked, and is smiling dumbly as he begins to walk over to a door that was set in the wall next to the counter. Judy with a shocked look on her face looks at Nick "You didn't tell me it was a naturalist club," she says under her breath as she throws a glance at the yak then covers her eyes with a paw.

Nick chuckles softly "well carrots you never asked," he says as they begin to follow the yak through the door he just opened into the sunlight. Nick knew what to expect when their eyes adjusted. Hundreds of animals are sprawled across a very large green yard. From elephants to mice they all have no clothes on and are basking in the sun or swimming or stretched out on many of the benches around the place. The only notable thing about the club is that the predators seem to be set apart from the prey who takes up most of the yard. Nick pushes the scene out of his mind letting his eyes wander the yard and not taking in any of the animals as he follows Judy and the yak.

Judy seems very uncomfortable about the entire thing as she has raised her notebook up to her eyes and keeps them hidden so as to not see any of the naked animals around her. Soon they find themselves in front of one of the largest elephants there. "Yo, Nangi," the yak says and the elephant doesn't give any notice of their presence as she does some pretty impressive yoga moves.

Nicks focus on the situation is half there as he catches small parts of the conversation. His focus has gone back to the predators who were roaming the park. All of them, of course, had the same dull brown leather collar on with a small silver box attached to it. Nick wondered how much they felt they fit in with those collars, but alas his focus was brought back to the current situation as Judy begins thanking the yak and yanking on his arm to get out of the place as quickly as possible.

Once back outside Judy begins to explain everything she found out about how the otter was picked up by a big white limo and the fact she had the plate number. "Well lucky foot looks like you've got all you need from me so hop back along to your headquarters and we can part ways," Nick says holding out his hand for the pen.

Judy takes a deep breath and lets it out "well there's a small problem," she says.

Nick places a paw on his forehead rubbing his eyes "and that would be," he asks.

"I can't run plates I haven't been here long enough for my name and identity to be properly put into the system," She says "and well I only have two days to solve this case."

Hearing the last part Nick removes his paw and looks down at the bunny that has put on a rather defeated look. 'Two days,' he thinks to himself 'that's all they gave her?' He sighs "and if you don't solve it," He asks.

"I'm done for," she says softly "I have to resign."

Nick closes his eyes for a second and tries to focus, but the harder he focuses the more he notices the painful sore on his neck. He instinctively puts a hand up to his collar to adjust it "fine cottontail come on I know someone who can help us," he says and walks back over to the golf cart and sits down in the passenger seat.

Judy follows and hops into the driver seat "uh, where to then," she asks.

Nick is beginning to feel burnt out again and he jabs a thumb over his shoulder "The DMV it's somewhere that direction," He says and begins fiddling with his collar trying to keep it from rubbing his sore.

Judy doesn't say much on the way over except to get a few quick directions and soon they find themselves parking in the DMV parking lot. They both make their way past cars ranging in size from small mouse mobile to large giraffe-UV's. Once they get past the threshold Judy lets out an impatient noise "they're all sloths," she exclaims.

Nick chuckles at her response "are you saying that just because they're sloths they can't be fast," he says. He wanted to mess with her a little here, but he also wanted to get it over with. As they approach the counter of a particular sloth Nick throws up finger guns and says "hey Flash flash hundred yard dash how are ya doing buddy."

The sloth slowly lifts his head and slowly smiles opening his mouth "He-llo," He says in a monotone voice "I…am great…how…are you?"

"Doing good buddy I've got a friend here who needs your help," Nick says motioning to Judy.

Judy begins to speak quickly "Hello Mr. Flash I am in a big hurry and I need this plate ran can you do that," her lips moved so fast even Nick couldn't keep up.

"Yes…I…can...," the sloth says "what…is the…number."

Judy spits out the number just as fast and Flash begins to input it slowly to the bunny's dismay. Once he gets down to the last number Nick has the sudden urge to interrupt him, but he looks down at the bunny and he sees her expression is almost savage and against his better judgment keeps his mouth shut. After Flash has printed the receipt with the cars location out he hands it to Judy who snatches it out of his hand and begins to read it. "Tundra town," she tells Nick then bidding Flash goodbye she races out of the DMV with Nick behind her.

Soon Nick is huddled shivering slightly beside Judy looking over a large fence at a white limo that has been impounded. It also appears to have crashed since there is a large dent in the front of the car. Nick takes one look at it then turns to Judy "well looks like it ends here," he says "don't think you can go in there." He fakes a smile at her and she gives him a very unhappy look. He knows she's just a stupid rabbit, but she actually seems to give half a damn about finding the missing animal. He sighs "I mean you could go in there," he says "if you had a reason to."

"What do you…" she begins to ask but Nick has begun to climb the fence and swinging a leg over the top falls down landing agilely on the other side. He looks through the fence at Judy who gets the hint and climbs over the fence as well "oh my I think I saw a shifty criminal in here and I need to further investigate the situation." She says mockingly. She actually throws a smile at Nick and quickly heads towards the limo.

` Nick's criminal instincts are screaming at him for doing what he just did, but he suppresses them as he and Judy open the driver's side door. The front seat of the vehicle doesn't seem out of the usual except for the cracked window and the deployed airbags. Nick lets Judy search the front while he jumps up on the seat and pulls the sliding window open and claps eyes upon the back part of the limo. He looks over his shoulder at Judy "Hey carrot top check this out," he says as she pulls herself out from under a seat and hops up beside him.

She pokes her head through and sees what Nick saw. The back part of the limo has several scratch marks all along the cabin. "What the heck happened," She says as she hops through the window and Nick follows. She begins to search the cabin while Nick looks at the scattered glasses on the floor. Judy gasps and pulls something from underneath the back seat and holds it up. "Nick," she asks.

Nick looks over at her and his eyes fall upon a small brown leather collar she has clutched in her hand. He throws the glass to the ground and walks over to her taking the collar "Oh my god," he says "but I thought the cops never found one of these in the recent cases."

"Well they didn't find it if it was still in this limo you know," she says "actually you know I don't understand these things I've seen them on all the predators…" they rest of her statement is cut off as the back doors open on either side and nick looks up to see two large polar bears on either side of them.

"Wait this limo does it belong to…" Nick begins his voice has a slight tremble of fear.

"Mr. Big," one of the polar bears finishes for him as he reaches in and clutches both Nick and Judy hauling them out of the car. Soon Judy and Nick are squeezed side by side in the back of a small black car with the smaller collar still clutched in Nick's hand.

` Judy glances at Nick "So uh who's Mr. big," she whispers

"Well just one of the most fear crime bosses of Zootopia," Nick says out of the corner of his mouth.

"And what does he want with you," Judy asks

"I sort of stole some money from him," Nick says

"I thought you had a bunch of money," She narrows her eyes slightly.

"Well this was a very long time ago," Nick gulps slightly "I was younger and dumber that I am now."

Judy lets out a dry laugh "I'd say you're still as dumb," she says.

` "Shut up you two," one of the polar bears snaps. It takes about an hour for them to finally come to a stop before Nick and Judy are ushered out of the car. Once past the front gate of the mansion, both are led up a long path to a large mansion. Once inside they're led to a small room that looks like a study and are forced to stand in the middle of the room facing a large desk. Judy is looking around while Nick is standing there trying to think of ways to talk himself out of this situation. Soon a door behind the desk opens and several polar bears step through the last one is the largest and is holding something in his hands as he approaches the desk and sets it down.

Nick looks down at the small mouse who is sitting lounged in a small black leather chair. "Nick," he says "why have you been brought here. I thought I told you that I'd have to do something regretful if I ever saw you again."

Nick gulps trying to get rid of the lump in his throat as he bows his head to the mouse "I-I apologize Mr. Big sir," he says quickly "I didn't know the limo belonged to you." Judy seems to be shell-shocked as she doesn't say anything.

Mr. Big sighs "you are found snooping around my limo," he says then points at nicks hands "why do you have another predator's shock collar in your hand, Nick."

Nick looks down at his hands and sees the small leather collar then he notices small gold lettering on the side of it "Emmet Otterton" it reads. "I uh…we," he motions to Judy "found it in your limo so I guess I should ask you that." He hopes the crime boss doesn't take too much offence to that.

Mr. Big puts a tiny hand to his chin and shifts his body in the chair "I would watch what you say to me Mr. Wilde," he says "I don't know why that was in my limo."

Judy actually speaks up "I uh think it might belong to one of the missing animals," she says quickly "I'm a cop and I'm trying to find him."

Mr. Big shifts in his seat as Judy says she's a cop and he looks over at one of the polar bears "you brought a cop here," he says shortly and the polar bear shifts in place "I will deal with you later as for you two I could care less about some missing animal. For trespassing on my property and for being a cop you both get to be iced. Nick, I'm disappointed in you helping the cops." He claps his hand and two polar bears step forward and pick Nick and Judy up as the floor opens beneath them revealing a pool of ice cold water.

Nick begins to squirm "Come on man have a soul don't do this," he yells at Big.

"How dare you do this to a cop you coward," Judy spits at the mouse.

Mr. Big just waves his hand and Nick and Judy are lowered slowly towards the water when suddenly the same door busts open and another polar bear holding a small brown mouse in a wedding walks in and sets the mouse on the desk beside Big. "Daddy why'd you leave the party," the little mouse squeaks then looks over and sees Nick and Judy "daddy I said no icing people at my party."

Mr. Big looks at his daughter "Oh honey you don't understand I have to," he says with mock remorse and waves his hand again and the polar bears lower the two victims to their dooms.

The smaller mouse speaks up "Hey wait that's the bunny that saved my life earlier today," she says and Big waves his hand again and the polar bears raise Nick and Judy up as the floor closes and they are set back down on firm ground.

"You saved my Fru Fru," He asks quickly to which Judy nods "I cannot express my gratitude and I beg forgiveness at my hasty actions." He bows his head to Judy then turning to Nick he says "As for you I will forgive your past transgressions since you are here as a friend of the bunnies, but if you so dare to set a toe out of line against me I will hunt you down and skin you alive," the mouse's words seem to set a fear in Nick who gulps and nods agreeing to the terms.

Fru Fru cordially invites them to her wedding party of which both Judy and Nick attend out of fear of crossing Mr. Big again. Afterwards, Judy approaches Big with the same picture of the otter "Mr. Big I really need to know if you could help me." She says.

Big takes a second to respond "I'm sorry dear I cannot help you find him," he says "but I know who was driving that limo last and I could tell you where to find him." Big gets a polar bear to write down and address for a black jaguar by the name of Manchas.

Judy thanks the mouse and she and Nick are escorted out of the mansion and the polar bears are ordered to take them wherever they need to go. Judy tells them to take both her and nick back to where the limo is impounded and once they reach that destination she bids the bears goodbye and turns to Nick with a mixture of shock and excitement spread across her face. Nick on the other hand still clutching the collar tight in his hand is less amazed at the breakthrough and looks down at the collar again reading the name engraved in gold on the side again. He held in his hand the shackles of another animal and they were trying to find that animal and probably shackle him again. He just couldn't feel happy about that. Of course, the otter in question could be being held against his will so that would be much worse than having the godforsaken collars on, either way, Nick had a burning feeling in the pit of his stomach and he just didn't fully understand why yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch 4 More Questions than Answers**

 **Fewer words this time, but finally we diverge from the main story line hurrah for that. I hope to get the next chapter out by either Thursday or Friday at the soonest maybe Sunday at the latest. Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter. Review, review, review I don't know what you like or don't like if you don't review. Small compliments or critiques can go a long way.**

The soft patter of rain strikes the top of the golf cart turned miniature police cars roof as Nick and Judy make their way into the rainforest district. It is night time now. Nick is still holding tightly to the otter's collar still pondering the current situation. He looks up to see Judy reading the address Big gave them and turning down a side street and parking on the side of the road next to a small building. These little buildings were stationed all throughout the rainforest district. Inside each one was an elevator that took you up into the tree tops where most of the forest animals lived in treehouses. The top level of the rainforest has many rope bridges and platforms that one can walk on to get from one side of the district to the other. Judy turns the golf cart off and her and Nick step out and quickly make their way into the elevator building.

Nick presses the button to summon the elevator while Judy stands there writing something in her notebook. The elevator doors slide open silently and they step in. Nick presses the button to send the elevator up and the doors slide shut and the elevator climbs up. Nick looks over at Judy again and sees her closing the notebook "so uh Judy," Nick says "what do you expect to find at this jaguars house?"

She shrugs "I don't really know," she says "he was the last one to see Mr. Otterton." She goes quiet for a second and then speaks up again "hey what happened to calling me carrots or cotton tail," she asks.

It's Nick's turn to shrug "I guess I'm just too tired to be snide right now," he says rolling his neck to pop it. As he does this he feels the collar rub against the sore that was scabbing underneath it and open it up making it hurt again. He takes in sharp breath and lifts his hand to adjust the collar again.

Judy was watching him and steps closer "are you ok," she asks. The elevator doors open and Nick doesn't answer her as he walks out with her in tow. She doesn't press him and following closely they make their way across a few bridges until they come to the address specified on the paper Big gave them. "Well looks like that's the place," Judy says looking across the rope bridge they have to cross to get to the jaguars house.

Nick nods "yeah hopefully he can help," he says as he begins to make his way across the bridge. Judy follows close behind and they approach the front door and Nick raises a fist and bangs on it.

They both hear a crashing noise and then a voice drifts through the door. "N-no go away I told you I wouldn't talk," the gruff voice says weakly.

"Mr. Manches," Judy asks "I'm from the ZPD and I was wondering if I could talk to you." As she stops talking the door flies open and stops as the chain keeping it closed stops it. A large yellow eye peers out at them.

"You're not with them," he asks and Judy shakes her head no "I'm sorry, but I can't help you please leave."

Judy steps forward "I can't do that I need to know if you've seen this animal," she pulls out the picture of Otterton and the jaguar's pupils turn to pinpricks of fear "please sir we need to find him."

The jaguar shakes his head "I can't I'm sorr…" he stops talking and pulls his head back from the door and slams it shut. There is muffled yelling on the other side of the door "N-no I didn't tell them anything please," they hear Manches shout "Otterton got away you told me that if I told anyone about what he said to me you'd come after me and I didn't tell them anything please." They hear him groan and a thumping of him falling to the floor "P-please…" his last words are drowned out as a growl takes the place of his voice.

Nick and Judy back away from the door as something heavy throws its weight against it from the other side. Suddenly the door splinters and the black jaguar is standing there on all fours his collar doesn't seem to be working. As he approaches the two terrified animals Judy casts a glance over her shoulder and then pulls nick to the edge of the platform they're standing on "Nick do you trust me," she asks quickly. Nick nods quickly not letting his eyes off Manches. Suddenly he feels his body go weightless as Judy pulls him off the platform with her and they fall ten feet landing on a thick branch.

Nick groans and stands up but as he does this he hears a sharp beeping and he knows where it's coming from. "Judy…" he says then his entire body goes tense as his muscles scream. The shock collar around his neck has activated and he loses control over his body and topples backwards off the branch. He hears Judy call out and sees her head pop over the side, but then the black jaguar is next to her and she's running away.

All of time seems to stand still as Nick is falling unable to yell or even move due to the collar shocking him. His body was on fire from the electricity shooting through his nerves, but soon that wouldn't be the only reason he was hurting. Just then he slammed into another branch after falling another ten feet. This one turned him around and he fell further hitting several more branches as he fell through the bulk of the leaves on the trees. His collar stopped shocking him but he had no strength to brace himself as he fell. As he broke out of the bottom of the trees he hit one branch but came to a jarring stop as his collar caught on a branch jutting off the larger limb. The sudden stop felt like it almost broke his neck, but his neck was quite alright.

Nick hangs there grasping at his collar as it is slowly choking him to death. He wriggles around trying to reach the ground that is ten feet below him. As he chokes for air he notices his vision slowly dimming and his head feels like it's splitting open. His lungs scream for air as the darkness that was at the edge of his vision is now working its way until soon he will pass out. He slowly goes limp as he loses the strength to struggle and hangs there his tongue hanging limply out his mouth as he finally losses consciousness.

Nick finds himself standing in the middle of a field of flowers. His eyes are adjusting to the bright sunlight as he looks around. He hears a voice in the distance and feels a compelling feeling of finding it. As he walks through the flowers he notices that they're all dead and withered where a second ago the field was full of beautiful flowers. As he notices this the sun seems to have disappeared and he is now standing there in semi darkness of the moonlight. His sudden change of scenery scares him as the voice begins to grow fainter. He begins to run as fast as he can trying to get to the voice, but he keeps tripping over weeds and roots that seem to be sprouting out of the ground trying to pull him down into the dead flowers. His instincts tell him to keep running and that something is very wrong here. Suddenly the voice is booming all around him and he stops just as a root wraps itself around his legs and throws his balance off and he tumbles head first into the ground. He's falling now into darkness when he stops he feels warmth in his chest and spreading up to his face and he closes his eyes.

There's the sound of rapid breathing and a voice counting "one, two, three, four..." on and on until it stops then Nick feels air rush into his lungs and the voice begins to count again. His eyes fly open and he takes a deep breath sitting up almost knocking Judy, who was performing CPR, over. His throat is dry and very sore and his chest feels like he got hit with a truck. As he sits there coughing and gagging trying to catch his breath Judy falls back on her rear shaking slightly and breathing just as heavy. Suddenly she flings her arms around his neck and begins to cry.

"N-Nick I was so worried I didn't mean for you to fall off the branch," she says her voice shaking "o-once I got away from Manches I found you hanging and you weren't breathing...I thought... I thought you were dead." Her entire body is shaking violently.

Nick has steadied his breathing and in a hoarse whisper he asks "what happened to Manches."

Judy looks up at him and she bites her lip then answers "he just disappeared I don't know where he went or why he went savage like that," she says "last I saw he was running deeper into the rainforest district."

Nick nods then takes another breath his throat still dry but not as hoarse "he seemed to be arguing with someone," he says "saying something about what the otter told him about."

Judy looks around into the darkness as if she expected the Jaguar to run out at them "y-yeah I know," she says "we need to get out of here." She stands up and still looking around fear in her eyes. The sounds of police sirens fill the air and the flashing lights are seen through the trees. Judy turns in time to see several officers filing into the clearing that they are in. In the front of the pack stands Bogo. Nick knew him from the news and in person he was even more intimidating.

"Hopps," Bogo says with a surprised note in his voice "how'd you find this culprit before us you weren't at the precinct when we got the notification of a discharged collar." He was looking from Judy to Nick.

"Culprit," Judy asks with a confused tone.

Bogo points at Nick "we got notified that a collar discharged after a spike in rage which is a class A offence," he says "punishable by prison or even a death sentence if another animal was hurt or killed."

Judy shakes her head "he wasn't in a state of rage we were running away from a savage jaguar," she says "it probably mistook the adrenaline for anger." As she says this Nick is picking himself up on shaky legs and she lets him use her for support.

"Hopps you can either get out of the way or go to jail with him," Bogo says "the collars don't just activate for no reason even if the predator is under duress they've been tested extensively." Bogo eyes Judy with a very angered look.

Nick pushes Judy away "don't fight them," he says "I will be alright." He takes her hand slipping her the otters collar "you have to find that jaguar and find where he went." He whispered the last part.

"Nick they can't do this to you," she says but Nick chuckles and turns around to face Bogo. Judy has a horrified look as Bogo, unprovoked, slams his fist into Nicks face making the foxes knees buckles and he crumples to the ground. She steps forward but Nick puts a paw up to stop her and holds his hands out for another officer to slap cuffs on him and then they yank him up and drag him off. Nick looks over his shoulder to see Judy standing there with Bogo beside her and they seem to be arguing. His last sight of her is her tearing her badge off and chucking it at Bogo.

Nick's nose is bleeding and he feels his right eye swelling up as he is driven to the police HQ to be locked up until he is taken to court and then prison. He looks out the window and sees the sun is beginning to rise. Soon the car stops and he is roughly pulled out and shunted into the large building. The main lobby is huge and there is a center area where a rather chubby cheetah is sitting munching on a doughnut. Nick is chauffeured right past him and Nick sees him cast a glance as they pass and then pull his phone out. The hall he's drug down next is less inviting and soon they step into a large room with several cells and the rhino that has been dragging him along pulls open a cell door and throws nick inside and shuts it locking it. Nick is still handcuffed and he face is beginning to throb so he just goes to the cot and lies down closing his eyes. Sleep overtakes him soon and he dreams he is running away from something that is always right behind him.

There is a sharp rapping on his bars and Nick wakes with a start and looks over to see the cheetah that was in the main lobby standing here with a tray of food that has a doughnut on it. He is smiling like a fool as he pushes the tray through an opening in the cell door. Nick walks over and takes the tray, but before he is able to turn around the cheetah leans close and whispers "don't worry Judy says she's got a plan." Nick looks back at him to ask what he meant but he is already walking out of the room. Nick takes his tray of food and sits on the cot beginning to eat it wondering what was going to happen now. He knew where he was going to be sent, but what was Judy thinking of doing. He hoped she wasn't going to try anything stupid like breaking him out of here. Why would she do that anyway he didn't mean that much to her. He sighs as he looks out the window "Judy don't do something stupid for an idiot like me," he says softly under his breath.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch. 5 Escape**

 **Fanfare plays and the gods rejoice hello all my fellows how are y'all doing. I finally got around to making this chapter at last hurrah amiright. Anyways I hope you enjoy it and pretty please with a cherry on top leave a review. I'll be your best friend if you do. Without further ado let the chapter commence and let the words of mine brain flow into yours and fill your imagination with untold riches. That or ya know let the lack of proper comma usage bring tears to your eyes.**

Moon light shines through the window into the small cell Nick is being held in when a sudden tapping noise forces him awake. He shoots up looking around and then sees the face he hoped he wouldn't see. Judy is standing outside his cell with a set of keys in her hand and a huge smile on her face. She has forsaken her usually police uniform for a more civilian short sleeved grey shirt and blue jeans. She slides the key into the cell door and the lock clicks and she pulls the door open and silently walks over to him.

"What are you doing here," Nick says in a harsh whisper "this is stupid this is so reckless." He stares at her in disbelief as she approaches.

She puts a finger up to her lips "Shh ok, I can't explain everything right now, but I just need you to do whatever I say and I can get you out of here," she says urgently "I wasn't about to leave you hanging like that."

Nick swings his legs off the cot and he is sitting there now his eyes locked on hers trying to take in the situation "Judy why," he begins to ask but she puts a paw on his mouth to silence him.

First she shifts through the keys on her key ring and picking one unlocks the cuffs that Nick is still wearing. Then she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small silver key and hops up on the cot "Turn around so I can get to the back of the collar," she says and Nick adjust himself so she can see the back of his neck. The collars are all fastened on to the neck and locked on so the predators cannot just pull them off. "We need to get this off before we can do anything else," she says quietly and Nick hears a small click and the collar slides off his neck.

The feeling is almost intoxicating as the weight of the collar falls off. Nick reaches his hand up and without thinking lets out a soft groan as he feels his neck. Now free of the collar he feels suddenly light and he feels free for once. He turns around to face Judy who is standing there on the cot looking very pleased with herself. He throws his arms around her and pulls her into a big hug and silently says "thank you."

Judy returns to hug then pulls away and hops down "We need to go now," she says and Nick stands up and she leads him out of the cell. Nick looks back at the cot and sees his collar sitting there basking in the moonlight. He feels a sudden pang of longing for it. He hated it so much, but now that it was off he felt different. Like his whole world was being left behind and it materialized itself in that leather strap that once held tight to his neck. This feeling was very short lived as he felt a much more powerful emotion of disgust at how that collar had been used to keep him hostage all those years. He turned away from it and followed Judy out of the room.

As they stepped out into the hall Nick was greeted with the sight of the same chubby cheetah who was still wearing the same leather collar, but it was hidden mostly beneath the rolls of chub on his chin. "Awesome," the cheetah says "Ok Judy I can only keep the cameras looping for a few more minutes so you have to be gone by then ok. Just go out the same way you came in." He bent down and hugged Judy then straightened up and then, surprisingly fast, he went down the hall the opposite way that Judy was now leading Nick.

They first went down the hall until they hit a T section and turned left and then once they made their way down the next hall to a metal door with a glowing exit sign over it Judy used one of the keys on the keyring she had to unlock it and lead them out into an alleyway. The alley was open on both ends and to their left Nick could see his friend Finnick standing there waiting for them. He beckoned them and they quickly made their way to him "Vans parked a couple of blocks away," he says "hey Nick put this on." He throws a black hoodie at Nick who pulls it on over his Hawaiian shirt. "Ok so there aren't many animals out and about so let's make this quick," he turns on a heel and leads both Judy and Nick out and to the right.

Nick casts a glance over his shoulder and sees the police HQ front doors. The place that hours ago he was walking into clad in handcuffs and now he was being broke out of with a former officer who was also a bunny. The whole thing seemed funny, but as he was dwelling on the thought Finnick turns a corner with Judy and Nick following and the HQ slides out of sight as they approach the van. Nick walks up the passenger side and pulls open the sliding door and hops in sitting down on the bench seat in the back and Judy jumps in behind him pulling the door closed as Finnick takes the driver's seat and the van comes to life. Soon enough they are driving through the mostly vacant streets of Zootopia.

Nick is still lost in thought when Judy taps him on the shoulder and he looks at her "Are you ok," she asks him and he shrugs not answering. He looks forward as he notices they are getting on a road that leads out of Zootopia.

"Where are we going," he asks now looking back at Judy.

"Well I figured it would be safe to lie low at my parent's farm," she says and with a joking tone she adds "I mean who would think a bunny would risk her own freedom to save a fox."

Those last words hit him hard and he looks away again his thoughts becoming muddled. Why did she even come to break him out? What did he do that was so meaningful that she would want to break him out?

His thoughts must have been portrayed on his face as Judy speaks up again "Nick," she says now becoming serious "I know you don't understand why I'd come to save you, but just trust that I wouldn't just let them take you like that."

His mind was fit to burst with overwhelming questions "But why," he finally says his voice flowing with the paranoia and confusion that was building up since he saw her standing outside his cell "I have done absolutely nothing to deserve this kind of trust. I hardly helped you. I insulted you when we first met. I am just a fox who lives to steal money from other animals so why in the world would you come to save me tonight." He looks at her with a ludicrous look on his face trying to comprehend her reasoning.

She seems taken aback by his outburst and her mouth is moving trying to form words but she doesn't say anything and after a second she just looks away. "I don't know," she says after a few minutes of silence "I just felt that even for what little you did for me that I owed it to you, and after seeing how you were treated I just wanted to find a way to atone for something that wasn't even my fault." Nick hears her voice crack at the last part and she turns her head to him tears glistening in her eyes "I don't know why Nick," she says choking on her words slightly "I just don't really know." She puts her head in her paws and begins to cry.

Nick sits there for a moment just thinking again. He watches her and he feels something he hadn't felt in a long time. He pulls her into a hug and she hugs him back now crying into the hoodie he was still wearing "I'm sorry I went off like that," he says softly "I was just scared that you'd do something stupid for an idiot like me, and well you did, but I'm happy you did it anyway" He lets her go and puts his hand under her chin and raises her head so he is looking her in the eye "Don't you ever think that I'd blame you for how others would treat me," he says "I knew you weren't the same as them when you told me you were looking for that otter ok. You actually cared about finding him and that is more than any other animal alive has done." He smiles at her and she smiles back as he takes his hand away.

Judy had calmed down as the van makes its way down a dark freeway out of the city leaving the glistening gem behind and into the dark hills. The night wears on and soon enough another set of lights sprouts in the distance as they approach a small town. Eventually they pass the welcome sign that reads BunnyBurrow with an ever increasing population sign below it ticking slowly upwards. Once they enter the town Finnick turns the van down another street that leads again out of the town and into the surrounding farm community as Judy points him towards her parent's farm. It is a few minutes out of town and situated between two other large farms. The van turns and begins making its way down a long dirt road to a large farm house in the distance and as they approach it Nick can see the front porch lights on and two figures are standing there waiting. The van comes to a stop a few yards away from the house and Finnick turns it off and they all hop out.

A rather plump bunny makes his way off the porch and toward them. "Judy you called us and told us you'd be coming back," he says as he reaches them and Nick sees him look from Judy to himself then to Finnick who is standing there fiddling with his phone.

Judy walks up to him and hugs him "Yeah dad I'm back," she says "I told you I'd need a place for a friend to stay too." She looks back at Nick and Finnick.

They bunny looks back at Nick again "you didn't tell me it'd be a fox," he says a slightly fearful note in his voice.

Judy looks back at her father "I'm sorry dad," she says "please just for a little while ok." She puts on a pleading look and her father's expression softens up.

"Fine," he says "only a little while ok. Come on in you all look starved." He turns around and walks back towards the house.

Nick walks up to Judy and smiles again as she follows the other bunny. Soon Nick is sitting around a very large table with Finnick to his left and Judy to his right and both her father and mother across from them. They have sandwiches, which Judy's mom quickly made, placed in front of them, of which Nick has eaten only one and is sitting there in silence as Judy's father eyes him. Nick shifts uncomfortably in his seat trying to ignore the piercing glare the bunny is giving him. "So," Nick says breaking the silence "nice place ya got here." He gives a nervous smile.

"Yup it is," the bunny replies "So uh, Nick, why did Judy bring you to our little abode to begin with."

"Dad," Judy says "I will explain everything so just drop it ok."

"Why should I," the bunny says but his wife puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Stu," she says "Don't be so paranoid she probably has a good reason. You do have a good reason right." Her mother looks back at Judy.

"Yes mom I do, but I really don't want to talk about it right now," Judy says "Can't we just finish these sandwiches and get some sleep?"

"Alright alright," Stu says with a wave of his hand he gets up "I'm going to bed, Bonnie show Nick and his friend where they can stay." With that Stu leaves the room.

Nick chuckles softly "Wow you'd think he doesn't like me," he says.

"I heard that," Stu's voice drifts in through the kitchen door.

After about ten minutes the sandwiches disappear, mainly thanks to Finnick who was eating them like they were the last food on the planet, and they are standing up with Bonnie leading them out of the room. Finnick opted to not staying in the house and said he was going to sleep in his van and left Nick and Judy with Bonnie. The house has several stories and Bonnie leads them up to the second one and stops at the end of the hall opening the door that led into a small room that was barren except for a bed and a chair "This is the guest room," she says "Judy you know where your room is so goodnight." With that she leaves Nick and Judy standing in the hall and makes her way down the stairs again.

Judy turns to Nick "Don't worry my room is actually right next to yours," she says pointing at the door a few feet away "get some sleep ok and I will explain everything when we're all rested." She gives him another hug and walks over to the door she motioned at and opened it and slid into the room.

As she shut the door Nick looked into his own room and walked in closing the door behind him. It was nice and quaint not unlike his apartment back in Zootopia. He pulled the hoodie off and threw it into the chair and then laid down on the bed. It was just big enough for him and very comfortable. As he lay there he looked over at the window. This situation was about as opposite as it could be from when he first laid down to sleep earlier looking out a window, but this time to moon was set and the room was dark. The stars shone though and he could see them in the sky and he laid there for a few moments thinking. 'Well Judy did about the dumbest thing she could,' he thought to himself 'I guess she has a bigger heart than I could even imagine. I just hope she knows what she's doing.' With that he closes his eyes not bothering to pull the covers out from underneath himself and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch6 Explanations**

 **Hello friendos it is I again here to bring you the latest chapter. This one will shine some light on the last chapter I hope you enjoy it. Anyway like always review and tell me what you think.**

There was a sharp knock that awoke Nick. He sat upright and looked around blinking. The room he was in was washed with sunlight that was coming through the window. The knock came again followed by Judy's voice "Nick wake up you've slept till noon," she says knocking again.

Nick stretches his arms and yawns "Ok I'm up," he says through the yawn. Getting up and walking lazily over to the door he opens it to find Judy standing there bright eyed. She is wearing a pink shirt this time with faded blue jeans and is smiling brightly.

"Are ya hungry," she asks and Nick nods "come on down stairs moms made some potato soup." With that she turns around and heads down the hall. Nick begins to follow her and looking around he sees the doors that line the hall all have names on them. Judy's was first followed by all her brothers and sisters. Nick follows his companion down the stairs and into the large living room then off to the right into the kitchen that was equally as large with the huge table in it. To nicks surprise the table was filled with all the bunny family members who in unison turned and looked at him and Judy.

Nick gives a small wave and a nervous smile at them and Judy leads him to a seat at the end of the table and sits down next to him. The bunnies are still watching Nick as Bonnie, with the help of her husband and a few older children, bring over several pots of soup and set them down along the table. Stu then takes his seat at the head of the table with Bonnie to his right "well what are you waiting for let's eat," he says then picks up a ladle and gets himself a bowl of soup. The table livens up as all the bunnies reach for their own bowl and try to get some soup.

Nick gives it a few minutes to die down before leaning forward and pulling the almost empty pot over to his bowl and scooping out some soup. As he sips his meal he watches the bunnies who are talking excitedly about the farm and what they were going to do that day. He didn't hang on to anything they were saying when he feels his arm get nudged and looks down to see the smallest bunny looking up at him. He smiles "hi there," he says. She doesn't respond and smiles back then turns away and begins a hushed conversation with her sibling next to her. Nick looks at Judy and she shrugs chuckling.

The meal lasts a good while but once all the soup has disappeared and the bunnies gone quiet Stu stands up "ok kids," he says "let's get started on all the chores ok we need to get the farm ready for planting." The bunnies all get up and begin to clear the table. Nick watches as something like clockwork happens around him. Within ten minutes the table is cleared and cleaned. The bunnies then begin to disperse out of the house and when only Nick, Judy, Stu, and Bonnie are left in the kitchen Stu turns to Judy. "Ok time for some explanations," he says.

Judy nods "Ok," she says then with a deep breath she explains her past few days in Zootopia. Nick listens as she tells them about how she was put on the case to find a missing animal and that she asked Nick to help her. She left out the blackmailing him part though. She tells them what she found out and how Nick was arrested.

"Arrested," Stu bursts out then looks at Nick "why is he here then?!" Stu looks horrified "have you done something illegal Judy?!"

Judy puts her hands up "dad wait a second ok don't jump to conclusions," she says "he was arrested for something he didn't do."

"Well if he didn't do anything then they'd let him go," Stu says his voice still filled with the same horrified tone.

Judy takes a deep breath and pinches her nose "no dad they wouldn't," she says "you didn't see how they treated him or what Bogo, the police chief, told me." Stu still didn't seem convinced but he didn't argue and told her to continue. Judy then tells her father how she helped Nick by getting him out of the jail at the police HQ "I also was able to get something that would help me clear his name, and hopefully track down the rest of the missing animals," she says then gets up and rushes out of the room leaving Nick there with her mortified father and shell shocked mother. After a few minutes of dreadful silence she reappears with a bag that she sets on the table and out of it she pulls a black laptop. "This lap top has all the police documents on it as well as access to the police data base," she says "I was searching it this morning and I found something that would clear Nicks name."

Stu lets out a very long sigh and leans forward on the table "Judy I am just a simple farmer," he says "I have no idea what is really going on here but," he looks at Nick "I trust you ok. Judy, promise me you won't risk your life for something stupid." He looks at Judy with a very solemn expression waiting for a reply.

Judy lets out a sigh of relief "I promise I won't," she says "just promise me you won't turn Nick in. He didn't do anything wrong ok please."

Stu nods "I guess if you trust him I can promise that," he says "but if he is going to be staying here then he needs to work.

"Oh yes sir I can do that," Nick says quickly nodding and putting on his most sincere smile. Stu nods at that and gets up telling them that he was going to go check on the kids and for Nick to come to him when he was ready to work. With that he leaves Bonnie with Nick and Judy.

"Judy," Bonnie speaks up after a few moments of silence "I know you have everything under control, but like your father said don't do anything to get yourself hurt." She then looks at Nick and her expression becomes hard as stone "as for you," she says "if you do anything stupid and get my daughter hurt you had better hope you never see my face again." With that simple threat she gets up and leaves the kitchen too.

Nick sits there in stunned silence then turning to Judy "cheery family you have," he says.

Judy nods "very cheery indeed," she says "oh Nick I forgot to give this to you last night," she reaches into the bag again and pulls out a white phone with a broken screen "I think this is your phone." She hands it to him.

Nick looks down at the black screen and sees how badly damaged it is. There is a spider webbing crack that starts in the center and extends out in all directions to the edges of the phone. He clicks the power button and it lights up showing a clock and an unlock button. "Well at least it still works," he says "must've fallen out when I fell off that branch huh." He smiles back at Judy "thanks carrots," he nudges her arm.

"Oh so were back to carrots now are we," she says and chuckles getting up.

Nick looks down at his phone which has went black again and sees his splintered reflection and notices how beat up he looks, but also how matted the fur on his neck looks when a question comes to mind. "Judy," he says turning to her as she begins to walk out of the room "how did you get that key to unlock my collar?"

She stops "oh yeah I didn't figure I needed to explain that part since well uh none of the predators in BunnyBurrow are forced to wear those things," she says the walks back over to the table and leans against it "Well after I quit the force that morning I called Clawhauser, that cheetah that helped us last night, and I asked him if he could help me." She chuckles "He told me he knew that you were going to be brought in and asked how he could help so I told him to call me when you got there and I asked how the collars can be taken off," she takes a breath "he said that they can't be cut off cause that would raise the alarm at the HQ, but if I had the special key for the collar I wanted off then I could remove it without anyone knowing."

Nick listens intently then remembers the small silver key she had "oh yeah I know what he's talking about," he says then bitterly adds "every year I had to get a new collar and they'd always lock me in a padded room and unlock the collar I had on then bring in the new collar and lock it on then let me go." He remembered every time he had to get a new collar. They treated him like an animal that would attack them at the slightest provocation when they were removing the old collar and attaching the new one.

She looks at him with a look of disgust "that's horrible;" she says "anyway after he told me that I asked where I could get the key and he told me where to go. I needed help so I went to Finnick. He wasn't very keen on helping, but I told him that I could get his collar off too and he agreed and took me to the building. It's a huge building and when I walked in I saw lines of predator's waiting, I'm guessing, for their turn to get the new collar. So I walked up to a free counter and I asked the lady behind it if I could get the key to yours and Finnick's collars. Well she asked why of course and I still had on my uniform as well as the badge I kept in a wallet in my pocket so I told her it was for an ongoing investigation and flashed the badge and she quickly took me to a room that was filled wall to wall with filing cabinets. She walked down an isle and pulled open a drawer and pulled out a pretty thick file with your name on it and a key taped to the front of it then went down another and grabbed and equally thick file with Finnick's name on it and handed both of them to me. I simply thanked her and walked out before she could ask any more questions. That little escapade didn't go unnoticed for long since Bogo went to procure your file from them as well and found it missing. Finnick took me to a safe house of his after I got his collar off and we hid. I called Clawhauser that afternoon and he knew what I had done, but he wasn't going to tell anyone I had called him." She pauses for a moment then continues "After that he asked me if there was anything he could do for me. I told him that if he could erase my information from the police database so that they couldn't find out where my parents lived that'd be great and to my surprise he said he could. He told me that he could make it look like I was never even an officer to begin with. I figured that could work because I haven't been there long enough for people to remember my face that well. So he hung up and an hour later called me again telling me I was officially nonexistent in any database that the ZPD had access to. Then I asked if he could help me break you out and he said yes. That night I went there with Finnick and Clawhauser let me in the side entrance and gave me the keys to your cuffs, your cell, and the key to get back out the exit without setting off the alarm. He told me that the keys were extras so not to worry about taking them since nobody would notice them missing. He told me he set the cameras to loop for thirty minutes and that I had to be gone before then. Well you know how the rest plays out." With her long winded explanation finished she stood up straight and looked at Nick who was sitting there thinking

It seemed he spent half of his time thinking recently. After a few moments he looks back at Judy with a big wide grin "that was a brilliant plan," he says "but it was still stupid." He stood up and for the third time in less than twenty four hours pulls her into a hug "I'm still very grateful for what you did." After a few seconds the hug broke and Nick looked out the window seeing several of Judy's siblings running around looking like they were playing more than working. "I guess I should go see what I can do to help your dad," he says.

Judy nods "yeah he probably was expecting you to get out there sooner," she says "better get going."

Nick walks to the door leading out from the kitchen and pushes it open. He looks around and sees Stu standing next to a large tractor looking angry and he heads over to him. As he gets over he sees that the tractor is smoking slightly and Stu is about to give up. "Mr. Hopps," he says approaching him."

Stu looks at him "took you long enough," he says "I was going to ask if you knew how to drive a tractor so we could plow the fields, but the dang thing went and died on me," he kicks the wheel as he finishes his sentence.

Nick takes a look at the tractor "mind if I had a look at it," he asks "I know a bit about engines I could see if I can get it up and running."

"Yeah sure there's a tool chest in the shed," Stu says.

Nick heads over to the shed and pulls out the tools he needs and then walks back over to the tractor. The day seems to disappear as he checks the engine over and soon he hadn't realized as he closes the tractors engine case that the sun is setting and the bunnies have all gone in for dinner. He wipes the grease off his hands and hops on the tractor. He was going to make sure it turned on before heading inside. He turns the key and the engine turns once and comes to life. Triumphant he looks over to see Stu stepping out of the house and walking over to him.

"Well I'll be," he says "I haven't got it to sound like that in years." He walks up to the tractor and then looks up at Nick "mighty fine work you did there fox."

Nick turns the tractor off and hops down "well it's been a long time since I've done something willingly for someone other than myself and I have to say it felt good," he says.

Stu looks at him out of the corner of his eye "Nick," he says "I know my daughter trusts you but I have to be honest that I never did trust a fox before, but you seem decent enough." He turns to Nick and holds his hand out "I'm sorry I got so worked up earlier I guess I let my worries get the best of me."

Nick shakes Stu's hand "its ok Mr. Hopps I don't blame you," he says "I'd probably act the same way given the situation."

"Please call me Stu;" the bunny replies "now let's go in before the kids eat all the food I'm sure you're starving."

Nick nods "after you," he says and Stu leads the way back to the house. Nick asks where the bathroom is and heads in washing his hands and arms of the grease before coming back and finding a seat next to Judy that has been saved. He hadn't noticed till now but Finnick was sitting there wearing the same sunglasses and munching on a sandwich. Nick had a plate of sandwiches set in front of him by Judy who was saving them for him as well. Nick ate them happily not noticing that he was so hungry. He ate them all in minutes and once he was done he sat there content. He noticed that the bunnies weren't looking at him with a slight fearful look like they were earlier, but now every glance cast his way was more of a curious look. Dinner concluded the same way lunch had with the clock work of bunnies scurrying around cleaning the table off and wiping it down and washing the dishes in record time. Once the kitchen had calmed down after the bunny children dispersed along with bonnie and Stu leaving only Finnick, Nick, and Judy Finnick speaks up.

"Yo Judy," he says pulling out a card from his pocket "I went back into Zootopia today and did what you asked me to. Here's the sheep's government ID should get you into whatever government files you want undetected. Well until she notices that her card is gone so I give it about two days."

Nick looks from Finnick to Judy "Wait what," he asks.

Judy nods "Thanks Finnick I figured you could pull this off," she says then looking at Nick "oh Finnick just nabbed the assistant mayors government ID today while she was going on a personal tour of Zootopia speaking to all the animals about the missing animals and recent escape of societies number one undesirable, you, and he dressed up in that stupid elephant costume and go close enough to get this from her. There's a card reader on the laptop that will let me into more secret documents with this."

Nick looks at her amazed "you never cease to amaze me by the clever but stupid things you do," he says "are you sure you weren't a fox in a past life?" He feels a yawn coming on and stretches "I am beat I need to sleep," he says standing up "I will see you two in the morning."

"Goodnight," Judy says and Finnick waves his hand still munching on a sandwich. With that Nick heads up the stairs and back into his room. The sun has set and the moon is out now casting a glow into the room. Nick lies down almost about to drift off when he remembers his phone. He pulls it out and pressing the power button it lights up and he carefully unlocks it and goes to the camera. He faces the phone back to him and the flash snaps and he looks at his new selfie. The beaten up fox looking back at him has lost that sad tinge in his eye for once. He knew why it was gone. Sliding the phone back into his pocket he smiles and closes his eyes drifting off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch7 Night Terrors**

 **Well this chapter was long in the making actually. I had planned to write it after the fifth chapter and the idea was in my head all the way back in the second chapter. Anyway this one isn't really plot development for the main story, but just a little character development and hopefully potential shipping development. NickxJudy4ever. Anyway I hope you enjoy it and I plan to have a longer chapter finished hopefully by either Monday or Tuesday of next week. Work permitting that is. Chaio.**

Nick opened his eyes to find himself standing in the small guest room of the Hopps house. The sun was shining and he could hear Judy humming softly outside his open door. He smiled approaching the door way and stepping through it when the scene changed before his eyes. Now he was standing at the end of a long hallway. Along the hall were thousands of doors all along either side. He didn't know where he was or what to do so he just walked on. The hall felt small and he felt like the walls where getting closer. As he walked on he saw one door, about twenty feet away, ajar with a thin strip of light shining through the crack. He approached it cautiously and pushed it open. As he stepped into the room he saw an old time video reel player and a red armchair. The video player was on and rolling and he say his name flash across the pulled down screen. He went in and sat down in the chair and watched the video. The video played and it showed him a simple memory of his mother. It was silent as he watched his mom moving around a small kitchen cooking breakfast. He remembered what she used to make for him, blueberry pancakes that were his favorite. He watched her move for a second and then the video changed to the last time he ever saw his mother. She was throwing him a small eighteenth birthday party. He had already planned to move out of the house and he looked at her worn face. She was still so beautiful. A pain blooms in his chest and he looks away, standing up, and walks back out the door.

Now he's standing in the middle of a dark room when a spot light illuminates a pedestal in the middle. He looks at it sees his collar. It looks faded and he sees something that looks like dried blood on it. He feels a strong urge to touch it and he steps forward to pick it up. As his finger makes the slightest contact he feels electricity in his veins and he jerks his hand back. The collar had shocked him when he wasn't even touching the shock part. He wanted to step away from it but he couldn't seem to move his legs. He felt his hand reach out again and nothing he could do would stop it. He firmly clasps the collar in his hand and feels the same pain as before, but his hand doesn't stop there. It lifts the collar off the pedestal and his other hand reaches forward taking hold of the collar too. He feels like his body is going to tear itself apart as his own hands, against his will, wrap the collar back around his neck. He hears a click and the collar is secured again to his neck. Suddenly his body is under his control again and he crumples to the floor curling into a ball as his muscles scream in agony. He hears laughing and voices whispering around him and then looks around to see his world has changed again and he feels like a younger version of himself. He is still writhing in pain, but now he can see he is surrounded by faceless kids of his past. They are all wearing the junior ranger scouts uniform and are pointing at him laughing. He also feels something around his face and he looks down seeing the muzzle that is encompassing his snout and he tries to scream but cant. He begins to fall through a seemingly endless abyss when he stops suddenly and wakes up.

He looks around quickly still feeling like his dream was reality. He has fallen off the bed and panting he crawls into the corner trying to clear his head. He pulls his knees to his chest and rocks slightly as his thoughts race trying to discern the dream from reality. His thoughts screech to a halt as he hears the door to his room open and he quickly looks over his shoulder to see Judy poking her head in the room. He turns away again and his thoughts resume. Was this the real Judy or some machination of his mind trying to trick him?

Judy's voice drifts into the room "Nick," she says softly "Nick I heard screaming are you ok?" He hears her footsteps as she walks into the room and he hears her drawing closer to the side of the bed he had fallen off of. He didn't care he didn't believe she was real at the moment and that he was indeed losing his mind. Judy on the other hand was trying her best to see in the semi darkness of his room. The moon had set and the poor bunny had no night vision to speak of, but she could hear quite well. She followed to heavy breathing of Nick around the side of the bed and even in the half darkness of the room she could see the fox sitting in the corner of the room facing away from her. She approaches carefully "Nick are you ok," she asks again and the fox stops rocking and looks over his shoulder briefly. Judy hadn't suddenly disappeared so this could possibly be reality. He shook his head and looked away again. Judy walked up to him and stopped putting a hand on his back and she felt him shivering. "Nick," she says softly and soothingly "what's wrong, please tell me."

The fox gives a shudder and plants his face in his knees and begins to sob silently. His dream had felt so real to him that he thought Judy was just a figment of his imagination, but he knew better than that. He felt her hand on his back begin to slowly work its way in circles as she felt him shuddering and she knew he was crying. She was trying to calm him down. He sat there until he could trust his voice not to crack and lifted his head slightly "I…I'm sorry Judy," he says his voice wavering slightly "I-It was just a really bad d-dream." He closed his mouth quickly to stop himself from letting out a noise as he planted his face into his knees again to cry some more.

Judy crouched down and still rubbing Nick's back she began to hum softly. The same tune he heard her humming in his dream. "Nick," she says after a few minutes of humming "do you think you could tell me what the dream was about. I could try to help you."

The prospect of having to remember the dream enough to tell her what happened horrified the fox, but he didn't know why but her general presence and tone in her voice was beginning to calm him and in a shaky voice he begins to recount the dream to her. His voice cracks with emotion as he tells her about seeing the video of his mother, but the hardest part was when he told her about his collar. He finished the short tale and tried not to lose himself to his rampant emotions again. He wasn't expecting the thing that came next as he felt Judy embrace him wrapping her arms around him and holding him. Her body was warm and he felt his shoulder get wet and heard a muffled sob.

Judy had tears in her eyes from hearing Nicks nightmare and she couldn't help herself as she hugged him "Nick I'm so sorry you had to experience that," she said her voice almost as shaky as his "I didn't know you were affected by those damn collars that badly." She hugged him tighter "I want to help," she says her voice becoming firm again as she stopped crying "the only thing I can think of now is to tell you that you are safe here ok."

Nick felt the same feeling he had when he looked down at her on their van ride over here and the same feeling he had when he heard what she went through to get him out of jail. He pulled away from her hug and turned around to face her. Her eyes were red from her brief crying session, but he knew his eyes were probably puffy. He pulled her into a proper hug this time and held her tightly as if she were going to disappear any moment now. "Thank you Judy," he says quietly "it's been a long time since I've had someone worry about me this much." This hug lasted a lot longer than their previous ones and when he finally let her go he looked at her.

She stands up still able to look him eye to eye even though he was sitting there on his knees. "So," she says "I feel bad about just leaving you to sleep alone in here." She looks around the small room. It was nice and comfortable, but she felt like Nick would feel alone again and might slip back into the same nightmare he was having previously.

Nick looks around too "I don't know what you can do about that," he says shrugging "not like there's anywhere else I can sleep." He felt like he would have to go back to sleep alone again, but knowing that Judy would be there if he had another one of those nightmares was enough to keep him calm.

Judy sighs then her eyes light up and she grabs his arm pulling him up "you could sleep on a pallet on the floor in my room so then you won't be alone," she says "I just really don't want to leave you in here all alone, even though I'm right next door to you."

Nick was now on his feet and looking down at the rabbit and he smiles slightly "well if you're ok with that idea than I guess I am too," he feels relief at the thought of not staying alone in this room. Judy turns to the door and walks to it going into the hall. Nick reaches over to the bed and grabs the pillow off of it and follows her out. He walks down to her door, which is ajar, and pushes it open seeing her rooting around in a closet and pulling out several blankets. She quickly pulls out enough to make a soft bed on the wood floor next to her bed and Nick stands there watching. Once done she presents it to him and he thanks her. Before laying down again he pulls the bunny back into a big hug thanking her for being there for him then lies down. Judy hops into her bed and bids him goodnight and he closes his eyes. Soon enough he slips back into his waking dreams, but this time he finds them more welcoming and filled with Judy instead of his demons.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch8 Farm Days**

 **Yolo my friend. How are you today? Well this chapter has come earlier than I thought it was. To my surprise I had Saturday off so I was able to sit down and write this. Anyway I hope you enjoy it like always and I hope to continue the story sometime this week I also would love to hear from ya'll so review please. Chaio. So this chapter is being reuploaded cause I am an idiot and misspelled Bellweather oops sorry.**

A soft ray of sun is shining through the window as Nick is awoken by his bunny companion. Judy shook him awake telling him to get up for breakfast. Nick sat up almost forgetting where he was as he looked around Judy's room from his place on the floor. The room was slightly bigger than the guest one he was supposed to be sleeping in, and he saw several posters plastered on the walls. They depicted some fictional characters that looked like cops or detectives. He chuckles seeing how much of a fanatic she was about being a cop. Then he frowns slightly remembering that she had quit her job and basically became a criminal just to rescue him. He still felt like he didn't deserve any of what she did for him, but he was happy that someone in this world was looking out for him even if he didn't look out for himself.

Judy was standing there watching him when she saw him look around then frown and she could read the foxes face like an open book. When he opened up to her last night she began to understand the fox more. His little clicks and how he acted when he was worrying were too easy for her to notice now. She put her hand on his shoulder "Come on Nick lets hurry before they eat all the food ok," she said smiling down at the fox as he looked her in the eye.

The fox nodded pulling himself up and he followed Judy out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen. The breakfast activities were much like lunch and dinner with the conclusion of the meal leading to the clock work cleanup of the dining table and then the bunnies dispersed out into the farm to complete chores or goof off when they though Stu wasn't watching them. Nick on the other hand was beginning to become the go to guy for when equipment stopped working. Stu set him to tuning up the farm truck that morning and he did a pretty good job. His mechanic skills were rusty but as he finished up his tune up job he was starting to feel confident in his abilities. Stu on the other hand was amazed at how well he got the truck to run and thanked him plenty. Nick felt the old farmer was really taking a liking to him. Lunch passed and Nick was able to get some time to talk with Judy who was spending her time cooped up in her room scouring the laptop for information. She just told him that the card Finnick gave her was still working and that she'd tell him if she found anything worth mentioning.

The rest of the day went smoothly with Nick helping Stu go around the farm fixing up small things like a leaky pipe to the bush hog. Nick knew a little about fixing up things like that but his skills were best suited to engines and things the like. Even so he was able to help bring most of the things set before him into working order. By the time dinner had rolled around Nick had a good layer of grease on his arms and his shirt had now become too dirty to wear, but to his pleasant surprise Judy had brought clothes with them. Just a few T-shirts and a few shorts that Nick was amazed to find fit him nicely. Cleaned up and wearing clean clothes he joined the bunnies for dinner and afterwards followed Judy back up to her room and lounged in a rather comfy arm chair that was in the room while she sat on her bed cross legged tapping away at the keys of the laptop.

Nick sat there in silence watching the bunny work. Her eyes were intense and unblinking as her pupils darted side to side as she read line after line of whatever document she was looking at. Nick smiled and laid his head back closing his eyes. He must have not noticed himself drift off to sleep because next thing he knew Judy was shaking him awake.

"I didn't figure you'd want to wake up with a crick in your neck," she said her ears droopy and her eyes heavy as she yawned "it's almost midnight and I'm beat. I laid out the pallet on the ground again if you wanted to sleep in here tonight." She pointed at the floor beside her bed where there were several soft blankets laid out.

Nick cracks his neck rubbing the crick that had unfortunately come. He felt a smile on his face and noticed now how much he had smiled that day. "Thanks carrots," he says standing up.

Judy chuckles "carrots huh," she asks in a sarcastic tone "just get some sleep you sly fool." She punched his arm lightly and turned around slumping back to her bed and crawling into it.

Nick walked up to his pallet and went to lie down, but something told him that he didn't want to sleep on the pallet. He straighten back up and stood there thinking. He wanted to stay in the room with Judy, but the thing that was in his mind was something he thought would ruin the relationship that was beginning to grow between them. He didn't want to ruin that since he saw Judy as his lifeline to his happiness at the moment. He had forgotten what it was like to have someone care about him as much as Judy did. He felt stupid but regardless his reached forward shook the bunnies shoulder lightly and she rolled over sliding herself up on her elbow and with sleepy eyes looked him in the eyes.

"What's wrong Nick," she asks looking as if she was trying her hardest to suppress a yawn.

"I uh," Nick said then his brain shut down as he fumbled for the correct thing to say. The bunny sat up on the bed since her position has become uncomfortable and she tried to get a read on his emotions. Nick was fumbling for the right words as he tried to phrase his question "I was just wondering if uh," he said "I mean you can forget I asked if you don't want to, but I uh…"

Judy cut him off "Nick just spit it out," she says becoming annoyed by intensely curious with what the fox was trying to ask her.

"Can I uh sleep on the bed with you," the fox says as a nervous grin spreads across his face. He really was a fool this time as he watched her waiting for her response.

Judy sat there thinking about his request. She knew he was becoming increasingly attached to her. She looked down at her legs thinking and when she looked back up the grin had vanished from Nick's face and he looked worried. Like he did something wrong or asked for something too much. Judy thought quickly "Why," she asked.

Nick was again fumbling for the correct response to the question. "I don't really know," he finally said "I can sleep on the pallet its ok, forget I asked. I'm sorry."

Judy reached out and grabbed his hand "its ok Nick," she says "I was just wondering cause this bed isn't the biggest one."

Nick looked at the bed and he did know it was quite small, but regardless he felt stupid "y-yeah I can see that," he says nervously. 'Why am I such an idiot right now,' he thought to himself. Judy's giggle snaps him back to reality and his nervousness melts as her small laugh fills the room.

"You're such a doofus," she says smiling "I think we can both squeeze on to this bed. It'll be a bit cramped and if you roll off the bed it's not my fault." With that she scoots over and lies down making herself small against the side of the bed next to the wall.

Nick can't believe that she had said yes and he crawled onto the bed and laid down on his back then looked over at Judy. She was the one smiling like the fool now. "Should I uh lie on my side," he asks "there'd be more room."

She shakes her head "Nah its ok I'm just a small little bunny I don't take up much space," she says "these beds are designed to fit three bunnies on them at once anyway. Saves space that way." She yawns "Anyway I need to sleep or else I'm not going to be a nice person to be around tomorrow."

Nick nods "goodnight Judy," he says closing his eyes.

"Goodnight Nick," Judy replies.

The following morning was quite an interesting one for both the fox and rabbit as they both awoke to find they had moved closer together during the night. They had cuddled up to each other and both woke up to find themselves staring into the others eyes. Nick had sat up and moved away blushing intensely and Judy had sat up silent. They had both gotten up a few minutes later and with a silent agreement to not mention any of what just happened went down to breakfast. This day played out like the last and by the time the night had come and everyone was going to bed Nick had walked up to Judy's door and knocked opening it. He saw that she hadn't laid out the pallet and she was looking up from the laptop.

"Hey Nick," she says "oh yeah the pallet I forgot I was working on downloading this last file before Bellweather finds her card missing." Judy popped off the bed and walked over to the closet but before she opened it she turned around "unless you wanted to sleep on the bed again," she asked.

` Nick looked astonished "I uh figured that was out of the question," he admitted to himself that he hadn't minded waking up so close to Judy that morning, but he didn't want to push her away.

Judy blushed slightly and turned back to the closet "It was a surprise, but it is a small bed I figured something like that would happen," she says opening the closet and standing there looking into it

Nick put a hand behind his head and chuckled "Yeah it was," he looks down at his feet "but if you don't mind that would be nice." With that she said it was and got back on the bed and Nick sat back in the arm chair until she announced that she was complete with her search and sat the laptop on the bedside table and patted the bed "come on Nick let's get some sleep," she says. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she found that sleeping with the fox was actually nice. Nick joined her on the bed and they lie back to back and with goodnights said fell asleep.

The following morning was not a repeat, but the day was; breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, and then bed. All the while Judy scoured the laptop some more. She had told Nick that the assistant mayor's card had stopped working, but that she got everything she needed to. She wasn't anywhere near done with her search though and told him to remain patient. The nights before bed composed of Nick sitting in Judy's room listening to her tap away at the laptop and then a routine of getting into bed, lying back to back, and saying goodnight. The days melted away with this routine established and soon a week had passed and then another week was nearing its end.

By the second to last day of the second week they had been at the Burrow Judy had announced to Nick that she had finished with her research of the laptop. That night she gathered Finnick and himself and sat them down in the kitchen after everyone had went to bed and put the laptop down showing it to them. On the screen sat an article that read "Predators Going Savage".

Nick skimmed the article and saw that a sickness had spread throughout Zootopia and that the predators were liable to it and were going crazy and attacking other animals. The article made it seem like it was on account of the predators being animals that in the past had hunted and eaten other animals to survive and that the sickness was something in their genes that awoken when the predator was feeling angry or violent. "What the hell is this," Nick asked.

Judy cleared her throat "This is one of many articles printed fifty years ago when operation collars was being established," she says "as you can read here they used this sickness to collar all predators and make them less than other animals."

"They," nick asks looking from the laptop to her.

"Ah yes I believe I have made a connection with the implementation of the collars and our current leaders in the government." She tapped a key and the laptop flashes another picture of a little lamb in a black and white photo of another news article "look familiar," Judy asks.

Nick wasn't too up to date on the politics of Zootopia so he didn't know who he was looking at but Finnick spoke up "yeah that Assistant Mayor Bellweather," he says "She looks all cute and fluffy, but man when I got close to her a couple of weeks ago to get that card for you she felt menacing. Not someone I want to tangle with again."

"Yes this is Bellweather but this isn't our Bellweather," Judy says "This is her mother Mary Bellweather. She was the one to implement the collars program and she had a strong following with an astounding 90% vote from the people for her continued service as assistant mayor." She taps a few more keys and a new document pops up with the Zootopia secret service stamp in the corner on it. The top of the document read "Operation N.H" and the following sentence told what the idea of the operation was about.

Nick read the document carefully. The first line read: Operation N.H is for implementation with the Collars program; this operation is being put under the most top of securities so that only I can access this document. Nick kept reading on and saw another line of text that seemed to be written in after the fact. It read: it appears that a bunny that I have vouched for to join the police force of the city is trying to find one of the missing animals. I assured the grieving wife that I would put my full support behind this officer and I did. I feel like this was a mistake for she has recruited a local fox and together they tracked down the animal's collar and soon afterwards the jaguar I had paid a personal visit. I have set off the fox's collar and the ZPD was alerted and no one was the wiser. I intend to question the fox as to how he was able to discover as much as he did and if he knew anything more. I am putting this on this document as and update and to be certain that only I will be able to read this. Nick was astounded and continued to skim the document and he found at the bottom a very quickly written and very angry line. I know who you are rabbit and I know you are reading this. You think that having this will help you well you're wrong. I will find you and you will be silenced. The document ends and Nick looks back at Judy.

"As you can see the mayor doesn't seem to like me anymore," she says "I'm actually surprised she remembered me. Anyway I'm not certain what N.H stands for, but I know for a fact that her mother had a hand in making the predators go savage in the first place," she says and taps a few more keys and a new document pops up "this is another top secrete document that Bellweather go to before I could download it and she almost got rid of all of it, but this part, have a read." She scrolls down and Nick sees a short letter jotted at the bottom.

The letter read:

Dear Daughter

When you see this I will have brought you into the operation that our family has tirelessly worked on. As you can tell my part was played properly with the initiation of the collar, but that was only the first part. We must take our place above the predators and cast them out of Zootopia so that we may have dominance over this city. Dawn you are the final link in this chain so remember your roots, and do not fail your father or I for all of our hard work that we've put in to making this dream become a reality for the future generations of this fair city. Good luck baby girl.

Yours truly

May Bellweather

Nick sat there in complete silence for a moment then spoke "it's all a complete sham," he says quietly "they used some mysterious sickness to make animals go savaged and then blamed it on them being predators and made them wear those damn collars just so they could easily take over Zootopia. That's so conceited and evil." He banged his fist on the table "why are we sitting here why don't we go and expose her," Nick said standing up his chair almost toppling over "not every prey can be thinking the same way, and if all the predators heard this then the ZPD couldn't stop them all if they cut their collars off."

Judy put a paw up "no Nick we can't do that," she says "we need more proof than these. These documents are probably nonexistent now. We probably hold the only copies on this laptop so no one would believe that they're real. All we would be doing is throwing Zootopia into chaos and havoc and that's what Bellweather wants. She wants a reason to cast the predators out. There are more than enough prey in the city to fight the predators even if predators are built to hunt, the prey are built to withstand whatever a predator can throw at them." She looks Nick in the eye and sees how angry he is and in a more calm voice she pulls back up the Operation N.H document. "I bet you didn't read this completely," she says "it says that it is going to be implemented with the Collars program. So whatever they are going to do it involves the collar, and we so happen to have one of the new collars with us right now," she reaches into the backpack she kept the laptop in and pulls out the otter's collar. "I've been toying with it and this happened," she shows the shock box of the collar and she presses something down on the side of the box and a little needle shoots out of a small hole that is in-between the two prongs that administer the shock. "I was able to pull open the little box and found a small tube half filled with this blue liquid," she pulls out a small bottle of the stuff she was talking about "whatever it is that is what Bellweather was calling N H." she sets the bottle and the collar down on the table and sits down looking from Nick to Finnick.

Finnick had remained quiet for the most part and once she was done talking he looked away from the laptop. Nick on the other hand was sitting back down still fuming at everything he just heard "so what now," he asks.

"Well now I want to go to sleep," Judy says "I've spent two weeks finding all this out and I want to rest and take a day off so we can find out what the next step is." She stretches and yawns.

Finnick speaks up "I think I might know a guy who can test that stuff for you," he says "he knows his way around drugs." Finnick looks over at Judy.

"He's not a drug dealer is he," Judy asks bluntly and Finnick shakes his head "well let's keep that in mind while we explore all of our other options." She gets back up and closes the laptop sliding it back into the backpack. "Let's get some sleep ok we'll talk about this in the morning," she turns and walks out the door leaving Finnick and Nick in the kitchen alone. Nick is staring at the collar and Finnick has reached forward and pulled the bottle of blue liquid towards him and he looks at it curiously.

"Yo Nick I'm gonna take some of this and go back into Zootopia tonight k I'll run it by my friend," Finnick says getting up with the bottle in his hand "I'll be back sometime in the morning so don't worry about me. It's not me they're looking for." Nick just nods and Finnick slips out of the kitchen into the darkness of night and returns a few moments later with the small bottle that has considerably less blue liquid in it. Then he turns and leaves again and Nick hears his van start up and the noise of the van dies away as Finnick leaves.

Nick gets up after a few more minutes and flips the lights off in the kitchen in heads up the stairs and makes his way into Judy's room. He finds that she has passed out on the bed and he smiles as he walks over and picks her up and slides her over a foot or so and lies down beside her. She was so trusting of him, enough to let him sleep with her in her own bed. She was interesting indeed. He laid there facing her for a moment and closed his eyes falling asleep almost instantly.


	9. Not really a chapter, but something cool

Author here, ok so this is not the next chapter to the story as I am still in the process of writing it I just wanted to give you all something to read to let ya know that I am still here and I just really felt like sharing this with you all. This is just a little something I wrote up listening to the song "Whispering Through" I'd suggest you listen to it while reading this little poem you can find it on YouTube. I was thinking of Judy and Nick and wrote this with them in mind. I don't expect you to review this at all, but hey go wild. Love all of my followers by the way and keep at it guys, Chaio.

 **Prey Spirit and Predator mind**

She's fragile to touch  
Yet sturdy to hold  
She comes off as weak  
But she speaks so bold

He's strong in will  
But weak in mind  
He comes off as sly  
But is broken inside

She sees him in passing  
And regards him a fool  
He sees her just standing  
And regards her a tool

They both walk a path  
Side by side  
As Prey in spirit  
And Predator in mind


	10. Chapter 9

**Ch9 The Return**

 **Hello there friend it is I with the next exciting, and romanticish, chapter of Collars. I hope yall are doing good. Here she comes woot woot that's the hype train let's get on and go for a ride. Have fun reading this I had fun writing it. Chiao.** **Psst hey you I know you can read this so how about giving a review pretty please thanks.**

Nick woke but laid there with his eyes firmly shut to the sunlight. It didn't take the fox long to realize the warmth pressed up against his chest and he cracked one eye open and looked down. Judy had moved closer to him and was now buried in his chest. The bunny was still fast asleep which Nick thought was weird since it looked like the sun was up already. He had to admit that she would probably freak out once she woke up but he laid still so as not to disturb her. She had become something meaningful to him in the short time they've known each other. She broke out of every stereotype Nick had thought to be the norm with prey. She had been there for him when she had no idea what was going on. She was something he treasured and he wanted to have forever. As he lay there pondering the situation he hardly noticed Judy had opened her eyes and was looking up at him her face still buried in his chest.

She didn't say anything thinking Nick hadn't noticed her yet, but of course, How couldn't he notice how close she had gotten to him. She actually didn't mind this at all, waking up close to him, she hadn't said anything to him but she enjoyed his company. She found the fox was different than all the bad stories her parents and peers used to tell her. The stories that Gideon, a childhood bully, and fox, had reinforced when she was still little. Nick was none of those things. Yes, he was sly and conniving, but that's just how he grew up. She knew deep down he cared a lot about others. She also knew that deep inside him was a demon that rested. It plagued his mind with depression and anger. The anger about where he was in life, about how his kind the predators were treated, and also some kind of lost feeling as if he was broken long ago and didn't quite heal right. She knew all this from watching him and how he acted around the farm. These facts were hit home that night when he had that horrible nightmare and she had come to his rescue. She saw something new spark in his eyes that night a kind of longing for love. She wouldn't lie, the fox had grown on her and she cared about him, but she was far too shy to ask him what he felt…even if she knew what he felt to begin with.

The moment couldn't last and with a simple movement, Judy pushes away from Nick and sits up. Nick was completely surprised by this sudden action and moved to do the same. He chuckled nervously at the rabbit and slid off the bed. "So uh," he begins putting a paw behind his head smiling like the fool he was "sleep well?"

Judy smiled back and hopped off landing beside him "yes I did," she says not quite meeting his eyes. The room was becoming a bit too small for the two of them and soon they found themselves walking into the kitchen and being gawked at by the rest of the Hopps family. Bonnie told them they were late and to sit down to get something to eat while Stu was rambling on about a bunch of repair jobs he had in store for Nick. All the while the rest of the rabbit children went back to their conversations between each other.

Nick took his spot with Judy beside him and an empty seat to his other side. Finnick was still gone. Nick knew the little fox well enough to know something wasn't quite right. Ever since they became con buddies Finnick was never the one to be late for anything. He pushed this thought out of his mind as a plate of pancakes was set down in front of him by Bonnie. With simple thanks, Nick grabs his fork and digs in. The meal like all the others lasted a good while then the usual clockwork clean up took place and the bunnies dispersed out into the warm summer day to get to work.

Nick sat there for a few more moments while the dining room cleared then stood up. He glimpsed at Finnick's empty seat and a worried feeling overcame him. He turned to see Judy talking with Stu and Bonnie. He walked up standing behind Judy and listened.

"We're going to be leaving soon," Judy says to her father.

"Got everything you needed then," the farmer said and Judy nodded "well Jud it's been quite an eye opener and a pleasure to have you and your friends here."

Nick chimes in "speaking of friends have you seen Finnick," he asks his worried feeling slightly filling his question.

Stu shakes his head "No I sent one of the kids out to ask him if he wanted to eat with us but they said his van was gone," Stu says "why do you ask?"

Nick shakes his head "doesn't make sense," he says looking down. Why was he still gone? He should have been back by now.

Judy turned and saw the worried look on his face and she put a paw on his arm "what's wrong Nick," she asks "did he go back into Zootopia?" She was beginning to get worried too. She forgot to mention that Finnick was now a suspect in Nick's breakout. She didn't think to mention this because she didn't think the little fox would go back into the city. She remembered him saying he knew a guy who could help, but she told him to hold off on that idea last night.

"He went back to Zootopia," Nick confirms Judy's fear and the bunny's eyes widen and she looks horrified "why Judy?"

"He…he's on the list of suspects for your break out since he was so close to you," she says "this is bad." She begins to pace back and forth. Her panic doesn't last long as the sound of a car driving up to the house is heard from where they are and they all rush outside to see Finnick's van skidding to a halt and the small fox hopping out of it and running over to them breathing heavy and supporting one arm.

"We've gotta go now," he says with a pained expression cradling an obviously broken arm against his small chest. He winced with pain with every breath and when Nick and Judy don't react he shouts at them "GET A MOVE ON PEOPLE." Nick stays with Finnick while Judy runs in to grab some things.

"Finnick what the hell happened to you," Nick asks exasperated at his friend condition.

"Long story bro," he replies "let's say falling ten feet and having to run a mile don't quite mix." Judy came running out of the house with the black backpack on her shoulder and Finnick limps back to the van with Nick supporting him. Nick helps Finnick into the back while Judy hops into the passenger seat and before he gets into the driver's seat Stu rushes up to him.

"Nick is your friend going to be ok," he asks quickly "he looks hurt bad don't you think he should stay here?"

Nick shakes his head "They probably already know about this place," he quickly says pulling the door open and hopping in "if anyone comes snooping around you lie to them. You never saw us here we haven't come here ok?"

Stu nods "please keep my baby girl safe," Stu says and reaches out clutches Nick's wrist with an iron grip "I know she can handle herself, but I need you to promise me you will try to keep her safe."

Nick was held in place by the bunnies grasp and he looked down into the worried bunny's eyes. He saw a fire of care and worry burning there and he nodded "I promise with my life," he says. For the first time in his life, he actually meant this promise. Stu let his wrist go and stepped back as Nick slammed the van door shut and put it into reverse and turned around he headed back down the dirt road.

With Judy's guidance Nick turned left out of the driveway and once they got about ten miles away from the farm he pulled off the road and parked the van behind some dense trees then turned it off and stood up making his way to the back of the van where Finnick was laying on the bench seat his teeth locked together in pain.

"Finnick I'm pretty sure you guessed this," Nick says with a hint of sarcasm "but your arm is broken."

Finnick lets out a short laugh and winces in pain groaning "wow what gave that away," he says with a pained smile on his face "think I have a broken rib too."

"Well we need to get that arm set so it doesn't heal wrong," Nick says "good thing I know a thing or two about broken bones. You don't hustle people all your life and get away without a scratch." He helps Finnick into a sitting position and digging around behind the seat he pulls out a first aid kit and a magazine that was lying on the back bench seat. "This is gonna hurt buddy," Nick says as he takes Finnick's arm carefully and with a few deft motions the small fox lets out a howl of pain but Nick keeps him still as he wraps the magazine around Finnick's arm and pulls a long strip of cloth bandage out of the first aid kit and wraps it around the magazine making it secure and tight. "This will help, but you need a proper cast man try not to move your arm," Finnick has his eyes squeezed shut and gives a small nod. Nick hops back into the driver's seat and looks over at Judy who was trying not to panic.

Judy looks at him and with a small smile "well that could have gone worse," she says shortly "so uh I think we should head back into Zootopia now."

Nick eyes her with wide eyes "what," he says "why should we go back there when they're looking for me. Hell, they found Finnick and he's a hard guy to find if you don't know where to look." Finnick lets out a chuckle.

"Well, Nick, we have all the information we need," she says " and the only way we're going to find out anything more is if we go straight to the source. Anyway, I know a place we can hide out while we're in the city."

Nick sighs and looks down. "Ok, fine, let's go," he finally says and cranks the van back to life "where to, Carrots?"

"Well, Sly, let's get back on the road and head away from the farm we can take a back way into the city," she says.

Nick nods and, pulling the van out from behind the trees carefully, turns back on to the road and they're soon speeding off down the road. The sun climbs high into the sky as they wind their way through back roads until the come upon a highway that leads straight into the cities eastern sectors. The sun has climbed to its apex as they pass through a large gate into one of the many biomes and the city grows around them. Once they have passed through the biome and into the city Nick feels right back at home. He knows his way around the center of Zootopia like the back of his hand and with a few short instructions from Judy he finds the small apartment building that was tucked away behind several large shopping areas.

Nick parks the van between the apartment and the large building next to it hiding it in the shadows telling Judy that surely the cops would be looking for the van. With the trio out of the van and walking out of the alleyway Judy walks up to the apartment and pushes the buzzer. No more than two seconds later a voice comes over the small speaker "hello," the sleepy voice says "who's there?"

With an anxious and hurried voice, she replies "Ben it's me, Judy, open up,"

Ben takes a second to respond "You're not supposed to be here Judy," he says "come in." The door buzzes and the lock clicks allowing Judy to pull it open and she ushers Nick and Finnick through before walking in herself and closing the door as the lock clicks again. The door immediately to their left opens and the chubby Cheetah is standing there in a white tank top and striped boxers. He looks worried by their presence and steps aside "come on in then," he says letting them walk in.

Nick looks around the spacious room. For a small apartment building, it sure was large. There was a big couch with sunk in cushions pushed up against one wall with a large T.V on the wall opposite of it and there was a kitchen that opened up so one could walk straight into it. The room was surprisingly the opposite of what the Cheetah was, clean and tidy. Nick stands there with Finnick, still supporting his broken arm while Judy was talking quickly with Ben behind them.

"I'm so sorry to do this to you, but we need a place to lay low and I thought no one would come looking here," she says with sorrow in her voice.

"Oh Judy you know you're welcome here," the cheetah replies "it's just not safe for you in the city. Everyone at the precinct is going crazy looking for you and your friend. They tried to take in that small fox last night but he jumped out the second story of an apartment and they couldn't find him anywhere." Finnick looks at the cheetah and growls at being called small "I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by that I just uh don't remember your name I was up late last night trying to go over case files with the chief. Anyway, Judy, what are you even back in the city for?"

Judy looks from the cheetah to Nick "we found some evidence of a conspiracy here in the city, Ben," she says "I'll explain later, but we need to rest we've been rushing around all day."

"Well ok," Ben says smiling "good thing today is my day off I'll whip something to eat up." With that, he turns around and heads off into the kitchen and they hear him humming as he pulls pans and pots out and gets busy cooking something up.

Nick takes a seat on the couch sinking into it and he lays his head back. They were back after all. The big return to the city and they were highly sought-after targets by the ZPD. He chuckled at their situation at the moment. A bunny and two foxes on the run from the fuzz. It all sounded like a bad cop movie, but this was the reality of the situation. He looks at Judy who was standing watching Ben cook and then at Finnick who had taken a seat in a chair that was around a small dining table he had just noticed. The world was crumbling around him, but at least, he had friends he could trust…and one he thought he was falling in love with.


	11. Chapter 10

**Ch10 Discoveries**

 **And finally it arrives. Well work has been crap to me lately and I finally got a few days off thankfully. I didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, but alas it is. I don't mind long chapter, but I feel that long chapters tend to feel drawn out. I do hope you enjoy it though. Anyway until next time. Chaio.**

Ben gathered them all around the dining table once he had finished cooking. He had roasted insects for Nick, Finnick, and himself with vegetable soup for Judy. They all sat around the small table eating. Nick was not as hungry and was picking at a grasshopper while everyone else was eating. His mind was elsewhere thinking about everything that still lay ahead of them.

About thirty minutes had passed in silence when Ben spoke up. "Judy," he said looking over at her "you still haven't explained why you're back in the city yet."

Judy was sipping her soup and she put her spoon down. "Well like I said before there's a conspiracy behind the collars," she replies "I just need to figure a few things out before we go forward."

Ben looks down at his plate for a second then speaks up again "what conspiracy?"

She sighs "Well it's a long story," she says "but you deserve an explanation I suppose." She takes a deep breath and launches into what she did after she broke Nick out of the police HQ. She tells him of all the things she found on the laptop and about how Bellwether was just a link in a chain that leads all the way back to when the collars first came about. The table is completely silent when she finally finishes talking and Ben sits there with a look of concentration on his face.

They finish their meal in silence and once they all were done Ben speaks up again "can I see what you found on that laptop," he says looking back at Judy "I could help figure out what to do next."

Judy nods and smiles at him "you've done so much for me already," she says "but sure." With that, they clear the table and Judy grabs the backpack and sets the laptop on the table and begins to show Ben what she found.

Nick had taken to sitting back on the couch and he found the remote for the TV and flipped it on. Finnick had taken a seat beside him and while Judy and Ben were looking over the documents Finnick and him were channel surfing. Nick deliberately skipped past all the news channels and stopped on a stupid sitcom and mindlessly watched it. The show lasted about an hour when his attention was grabbed by Judy who was calling his name.

"Nick," she says excitedly "Nick hey, are you listening, come over here!" She was beckoning him.

Nick picked himself off the couch "Ok, ok I'm coming keep your tail on will ya," he says and walks over leaning against the back of her chair and looking at the laptop "what is it?"

She was pointing at the document that described Operation N.H "Ben recognized something in the document," she says.

Ben nods "yeah right here," he says putting a finger under a sentence.

Nick looks closer and mumbles out loud "There has been a facility I have chosen to begin testing, it is an old psychiatric hospital used during the outbreak of savage predators fifty years ago. It has been condemned and has fallen out of the public eye. I believe we can start testing immediately without any interference from the outside. The name of the hospital was Cliffside Manor for the Mentally Unstable." He finishes reading it and looks from Judy to Ben and shrugs "so," he asks expecting something more.

"So, we know where this place is," Judy says "well at least Ben figures he knows where it is if it's the same place he's thinking about."

Ben nods again "it's most likely an old building right outside the city," he says "it's literally on a cliff, well actually it's out in the middle of a river with a bridge connecting it to one of the shores. It was high security."

Nick is trying to wrap his head around it "how do you know all this first off," he says "actually better yet why are you helping us. I mean no offense I'm really grateful and all, but you seem to trust people too easily."

Ben looks slightly offended and hurt by the sudden attack of questions but simply smiles "well I know about all of this because my father was a part of the ZPD when the collars became a thing and he told me all the stories about what he did during that time, and well I'm helping because I know that there was something really wrong with what happened to you the day you came in," he explains "I know every case file and every face who comes into the HQ and I know when something doesn't seem right. I don't think we have time to explain the whys and how's at the moment cause Judy and I were talking and we found a way to get into Cliffside. Well, a way for you and her to get in any way."

Nick just stands there with his mouth slightly open and closes it the second he notices and clears his throat "well ok then…uh…thank you," he says "and why are we breaking in there? Why don't we just take all this information to the ZPD or even the news and tell them where all their family members are?"

Judy sighs "well Nick like I told you no one would believe us," she says "and bellwether has the upper hand being the one with more power than us she could simply close up shop and make it look like nothing was ever there."

Nick feels like a child being told all his ideas are stupid and he sighs becoming frustrated "why can't things be easy," he says "never had this much trouble conning and now I'm trying to be the good guy and the whole world is just out to kill me." He throws his hands up "Fine," he says "let's do this let's go see what little lamb has been up to."

Judy chuckled "well like Ben said we found a way to get in, but we need to wait till tonight to do anything, ok," she pats Nick on the shoulder "try to be patient a little longer we could have her exposed by tomorrow morning." She smiles at Nick who just nods slightly and goes back to the couch to sit down and numb his mind with old sitcoms again.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew he was being jostled awake by Judy. He blinks several times and then looks at her "yes, sweetheart," he asks.

She rolls her eyes "get up we've got to get ready to go," she says. She's wearing darker clothing now and she has a small video camera in her hand. She picks up a black long-sleeved shirt and tosses it into his lap "put this on. It'll help us not get spotted if there are any guards."

Nick looks at the shirt and chuckles "I always wanted to be a ninja ya know," he says "you could be my sidekick and we could go around and kick people's butts." Judy looks at him with an unamused look and he smirks "what don't think you'd look good doing kungfu?"

Judy smiles "just get ready you dork we've got to leave in a few minutes." She turns around and heads back over to the dining table where Ben is still sitting looking over the laptop.

Nick gets up and pulls his shirt off not really caring who's looking and pulls the black shirt on. He looks out the window and sees the street lamps on and the moon hovering between a couple of buildings across the street and feels very content for the moment. He is almost mesmerized by the moon when Judy is calling his name again and he shakes his head and looks over at her and walks over. "Are we ready to go or something," he asks.

"Just about," she replies "Ben is going to stay here and keep an eye on the police chatter while Finnick drives us out and drops us off about half a mile away from the hospital." Nick nods "We've got to get across the bridge, but there's a sewer hatch on the left side of the building. We can use it to get in through a maintenance hatch on the inside. From there we can poke around and record what we find and then we can go to the ZPD with the information ok?"

Nick nods "ok that sounds like a plan," he says "well what are we waiting for let's go."

"We are about to we just need to wait for Finnick," she says "he went and got another car for us to drive around in since the ZPD are looking for his van. I'm surprised they didn't notice us come into the city this afternoon actually. We got really lucky."

They don't wait long when they hear the buzz from the front door and Finnick's voice comes over the speaker. Judy thanks Ben again and then she and Nick leave and join Finnick who had walked back to the small black car he had procured somehow. Judy wasn't going to ask many questions about where it came from just that the ZPD wouldn't come looking for it. That which Finnick assured her they wouldn't. Soon they are heading through the streets of Zootopia again. Much like the night they made their escape the roads were empty and the drive was smooth. Nick spent most of the time from his spot in the back looking out the window watching the dark buildings rush past then watched as the city let out into large expanses of trees as they made their way out of the center and through a small portion of the rainforest district then into a forest that surrounded the districts outer walls. The drive lasted about half an hour and once Finnick had pulled to the side of the road Zootopia was little more than a glowing spot on the horizon.

Nick pulled himself out of the car and then Judy hopped out the passenger side and joined Nick on the side of the road. Finnick rolled down his window and Judy looked at the small fox "ok you know what to do when you get the call you meet us at the rendezvous point ok?"

Finnick nods "try not to get killed, k," he says then rolls the window up and pulls the car off the side of the road and turns it around heading back towards the city leaving the two of them standing there in the darkness.

Nick looks at Judy who can't see that well in the dark "well where to," he asks.

She points down the road that is still leading away from the city "just follow this and it ends right at the hospital," she says and begins to walk. The half mile trek takes them another ten minutes since Judy can't see very well in the dark and the side of the road had some pretty deep ditches that Nick constantly had to help her navigate around. Other than that they kept a good time and soon enough they spotted lights in the distance. They approached cautiously and once they were fifty yards away from the bridge they spotted several wolves guarding it. They all wore what looked like a police issued bullet proof vest that had no insignia on it and were all carrying what looked like long silver rifles. Judy can see them perfectly fine since the entire bridge is lit up with street lamps and she sighs "wow that's some pretty good gear they've got," she says "good things those aren't guns, though."

"Well they sure look like guns," Nick says quietly.

Judy shakes her head "no they're just tranquilizers," she explains "and from the looks of it pretty good ones too. You wouldn't feel the prick of the dart before you were out cold." She scans the bridge and sighs "well we can't go over it, but…" she goes quiet and then chuckles "they didn't think about anyone going under it see?" She points at a small walkway that leads right beside the bottom part of the bridge and it's completely shrouded in darkness. The only thing bad about the idea is the current of the river looks pretty strong and the walkway is barely above the water and it looks slick. Nick points this out and Judy shakes her head "it's the only way Nick we need to." Nick sighs and agrees and they make their way closer keeping to the underbrush beside the road until they reach the guard post at the front of the bridge.

Judy goes first when the wolf has his back turned she rushes forward and behind the post and down the steps leading into the darkness and down to the walkway. Nick isn't quite as fast, but he makes it as well and he stops at the bottom of the steps his heart pounding and his ears pricked up listening for any sign that they had been seen. He begins to make his way with Judy across it and they pass underneath all the guards and once on the other side they are lucky enough that there are shadows to sneak in along the left of the building and they make their way quietly until they come upon the hatch that has been forgotten for so long there is a thick underbrush covering it. Nick manages to pull enough of the weeds and such away so that it could be opened and Judy hops in with Nick following her. The pipe they land in is big enough for Nick to stand up straight and a distant roar of a waterfall is echoing through it.

Judy pulls her phone out "Ok," she says "I have a map of the pipes and we should head this way." She begins to lead the way. Left, then right, straight, followed by another left and they find a ladder leading up to another hatch set along the top of the pipe. Judy puts her phone away and climbs the ladder and pushes against the trap door and it creaks open and she makes her way out and calls for Nick to follow once she is safe in the room above. Nick emerges from the pipe and looks around the dark musty storage looking room. It's filled with boxes that look half decayed and the walls look like they have mold growing up them. He pulls himself up out of the pipe and Judy lowers the trap door and it closes with a thud. Looking around the room again Nick spots an old iron door and makes his way over to it. Judy has pulled out the video camera and turns it on as Nick pushes the door open slightly and peeks out. The room he is looking into looks like it's brand new. The walls are painted white and there is medical equipment on them and a table with straps in the center. He slides into the room and looks around and Judy follows him through.

They silently walk around the small room and Nick notices another door with a window set into it and he peeks through it and sees a long hallway with what looks like glass walls set into either side of it. He silently beckons Judy over and she looks too "let's check it out," she says quietly and Nick turns the door handle and the door silently opens and he walks through waiting for Judy to go through as well before closing the door again. The hall is mainly dark, but Nick can see faint glows coming through each glass wall. He slowly makes his way down the hall with Judy at his side when he comes to the first of the large glass walls and he looks in. The faint glow is coming from a screen set into the back most wall and Nick tries to focus on it when suddenly there are two large yellow eyes and a thud against the glass that makes him shout unintentionally. He is looking into the eyes of the black jaguar that had tried to kill him and Judy before. His collar was still firmly wrapped around his neck but the little green light that told everyone it was one was now flashing between green and red. He backs away and Judy brings the camera around and is videotaping the jaguar as he paces around behind the glass glaring at them and growling softly. Nick backs up against another one of the glass walls without noticing it and he jumps slightly as he hears a tapping on the glass.

Nick turns around quick expecting another large animal but all he sees is a small otter. The otter is wearing a hospital gown and looks ragged his eyes are twitching as if he hasn't slept in days. He doesn't look savage like the jaguar, but he doesn't look sane either. His aforementioned eyes were darting between Nick and Judy as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He opens his mouth and a raspy voice comes out "Y-You're real, right," the otter asks his voice hardly more than a whisper.

Nick is taken aback by the words and nods "yes I am real," he says and the looking closer he sees the otter is missing his collar and his eyes widen "are you Otterton?" The otter looks like he is about to break down as his eyes glisten with tears and he nods frantically. Nick turns and grabs Judy's arm and pulls her around to face the otter.

She looks at the otter and she gasps "Emmitt," she says "Emmitt Otterton?" and the otter nods again, this time, sliding down the glass to his knees. Judy crouches down and puts her hand on the glass "what happened to you Mr. Otterton," she asks softly. She has the video camera focused on him.

The otter is shivering violently and he looks up meeting Judy's eyes "I-I can't remember much after they took me," he says his voice shaking "I knew something they didn't want me to. I figured it out, what they put in our collars. They tried to use it against me but I tore my collar off before they could do it. I thought I got away, but she found me…she took me away…away…" His voice is shaking too badly for him to continue talking and he lets out a raging cry. Judy frantically tries to calm him down, but it's too late. They hear voices coming from the end of the hall opposite the way they had come in.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Otterton I can't do anything right now I'm so sorry…" Judy says as Nick picks her up and pushes her towards the door.

Emmitt looks up at them "NO, HELP ME DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" Nick tries to block the otter's cries for help out but it rattles him down to his core and he is pushing Judy along and they make it to the door as the door at the other end of the hall bursts open. Nick is yanking the door open when he hears yelling and something that sounds like a popgun going off and a dart that is inches from his face embeds itself in the door and he shoves Judy through the door and then darts through as well and slams the door shut and runs across the room to the large metal door. The shouting follows them and they slam the metal door shut and block it with a large stack of boxes before pulling the hatch open and Judy hops down first. Nick hears the metal door fly open behind him as he jumps after Judy and rough voices yell at him "stop and come quietly!"

Nick lands beside Judy, who is tucking the camera into a bag, and she hands it to him "hold on to this ok," she says and Nick slings the strap connected to the bag over his shoulder. They hear yells from the open hatch and begin to run aimlessly through the tunnels. The sound of the roaring waterfall filled the tunnels as they ran. Left, right, straight no matter which way they turned their pursuers were still almost right behind them. Nick cast wary glances over his shoulder as they turned each corner catching the glimpse of a figure with a silver rifle in its hand charging after them. There was no escape just to continue running. Nicks' legs burn and his chest was beginning to hurt with every breath when suddenly he turns a corner and sees the pipe open into the night sky.

"Judy, hurry up," Nick shouts over his shoulder and Judy appears at his side breathing heavy too as they dash to the edge of the pipe opening but stop short of jumping out. Looking down Nick can see the river a hundred feet below and the waterfall is right next to the pipe opening. It's a dangerous leap of faith but it is their only choice.

Their moment's hesitation is not without its consequence as Nick looks over his shoulder to see two of the wolves that were running after them turning the corner. Nick freezes as one of the wolves lift the rifle and aims at him. Before he can do anything he feels Judy shove her weight against him and throw him off the edge of the pipe and toppling downward towards the river. He feels time slow like it did when he fell off the branch and he looks seeing Judy about to jump after him, but as she leaps she's jerked back into the pipe. Nick throws his hand out trying to reach her his scream of anger being drowned out by the waterfall, but she's gone and he's falling faster now. He doesn't feel his body hit the water but he soon finds himself surfacing in the chaotic flow gasping for breath and flailing his arms to stay above the surface. As he struggles to stay up the current drags him down and he smacks his head against a rock jutting out from the bottom and the world goes black.


	12. Chapter 11

**Ch11 Acceptance**

 **Let me start by saying how sorry I am. I have had very stressful few weeks and I had no motivation to finish this chapter, I hope you all are still standing by for this, but if not I hope you come back. Anyway, this chapter was hard for me to write for multiple reasons. The most important one being that I saw myself in this chapter. I saw just how much of myself I see in Nick and how much this chapter shapes who I am as a writer and a human being. It's some pretty heavy stuff. So anyway I am going to leave you with this chapter and also with a little poem I wrote for the chapter so please enjoy and review once you done. Chaio.**

 **Acceptance**

 **He sits there in worry**  
 **His mind clouded by doubt**  
 **She's taken and lost**  
 **He sees no way out**

 **His mind is** re broken  
 **His fears** re emerge  
 **He fights old demons**  
 **His sanity on verge**

 **He falls in the darkness**  
 **His footing is gone**  
 **But the light reappears**  
 **Help has come along**

 **In the form of his past**  
 **It tells him what's wrong**  
 **It pulls him back up**  
 **And pushes him on**

 **He begins to remember**  
 **He begins to see**  
 **The lesson he** learnt  
 **But not the lesson he needs**

 **So he roots himself**  
 **In the moment of pain**  
 **And forces himself**  
 **To see the things he has gained**

 **His mind reassembled**  
 **His will finally** healed  
 **He embraces his past**  
 **And his demons all yield**

 **He will push on**  
 **Through the worry and doubt**  
 **With this new form of acceptance**  
 **He will find his way out**

* * *

Nick's eyes fly open and he looks around finding himself standing on a circular platform surrounded by darkness. He hears a loud ticking as if there is a giant grandfather clock next to him. Without warning his environment is lit up almost blinding him. He finds himself in the very center of a clock face with the hands rotating around him. His confusion deepens as he turns in place taking in the weird situation. Suddenly he hears Judy's voice call his name from behind him and he turns around to face her.

She is standing there looking at him silent for a moment then opens her mouth "why Nick," she asks "you left me behind why would you do that?"

Nick puts his hand out trying to grab her arm "N-no I didn't I tried to grab you," he says desperation filling his voice. Before he can grab a hold of her she disappears with a puff of smoke and he turns in place looking for her. He spots her standing perched on the edge of the platform the hands of the clock beginning to speed up their rotations.

"You failed Nick," she says before falling forward into the depths below.

Nick rushes forward to try and grab her but she's gone again and he reaches down just to snatch his arm back as the minute hand nearly takes his arm off. He is on his knees now hyperventilating when he hears another voice call his name again. Reluctantly he turns his head to see Stu and Bonnie standing there.

"My baby girl," Stu says "She's gone you let her get hurt, how could you?" The bunny stares at Nick with disbelief and anger. "You broke your promise Fox," Stu yells at him "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

Bonnie just stands there, tears rolling down her face when she whispers "how dare you," and they both disappear in the blink of an eye leaving Nick sitting there.

He doesn't move for a moment and then lays down curling into a ball and lets his mind go numb. His mind is slowly crumbling as he tried to understand what was going on. His depression and loneliness slowly swallowing him whole and he closes his eyes silently sobbing. He suddenly feels the platform he is laying on begin to turn sideways and he lets himself slide off the edge and into the darkness below.

"Nick wake up," a voice echoes through his mind and he looks around "Nick you need to wake up."

Light floods his eyes as he jerks awake sitting up just to have a big furry hand push him back into a laying position. He flips his head back and forth looking around as his eyes adjust to the light. The first thing he sees is Ben sitting next to him. "What…where am I? What's going on," the words come rushing out of his mouth almost incomprehensible.

Ben is holding him down keeping him from sitting up "you need to lay down ok," the cheetah says "you're in my apartment ok you've got a pretty bad gash on your head and you shouldn't be moving around or you'll open it back up."

Nicks mind is running at a very quick pace trying to take in the situation, but he forces himself to slow down and think for a moment. "How did I get here," he asks looking at Ben "what happened to Judy?"

Ben bites his lip and looks away removing his hand "well I was sitting here keeping an eye on the police chatter like Judy said when I got a call from her," he says "she said she didn't have much time and that they were going to find her any second but she told me that you went down into the river and that we needed to get you as fast as we could then uh….well the phone went dead and so I called Finnick and told him to go get you. He found you washed up a few miles down the river unconscious with a big cut on your head. He managed to drag you back to the car, but his arm is in even worse shape now. He got you back here and I managed to stop the bleeding but you need to take it slow for a couple of days ok?"

Nick was processing everything when the final thing Ben said clicked in his mind and he jerked up into a sitting position "what?! Take it slow a couple of days," he spits out anger enveloping him "we need to go rescue Judy!" Suddenly the world swims before him and he puts a paw to his forehead as splitting headache overcomes him and he falls back down into the pillows. He lets out a groan of pain trying to focus through a sudden headache.

"Nick," Ben exclaims turning back to him "please just rest ok you're in no shape to be doing anything at the moment." He quickly begins to examine the bandage on Nicks' head carefully "well it didn't open back up but don't do that again ok?"

Nick is gritting his teeth and he nods slightly "fine," he says "well we have the information right?" Nick opens his eyes as the headache goes from splitting to a dull throb. His bad mood turns even worse at the expression on Ben's face "what," the fox says trying not to let bitterness slip into his voice.

Ben sighs "well the camera was soaked when you went into the river," he says "I mean I've been trying to get as much as I can off of it, but what I've gotten so far is just static with brief clips. I'm sorry."

Nick looks up at the ceiling and lets out an exasperated noise. "You mean we did all of that for nothing," his voice is hardly more than a whisper "oh Judy I'm so sorry."

"Well we don't know yet Nick," Ben says "I've only been working on it for a few hours I might be able to salvage it, ok?"

Nick closes his eyes "how long would it take," he asks scared of what the answer might be.

Ben is silent for a moment and with a very heavy voice "a week at the soonest maybe longer."

Nick tries very hard not to lose himself in the rage he feels at those words and simply takes a deep breath and focuses on the throbbing of his head for a moment. When he lets the breath out he opens his eyes and looks at Ben again "thank you," he says.

Ben nods "I'll let you get some rest ok," he says "there's some water on the table right here if you're thirsty and I can get you something to eat." He stands up waiting for a response.

Nick shakes his head and replies "I'm not hungry I'll just try to get some more sleep" and then rolls over facing the wall. He hears Ben sigh and then walks out of the room closing the door behind him. Closing his eyes he tries to fall back asleep but suddenly visions of Judy flood the darkness behind his eyelids, and he opens them breathing heavily. Thoughts of what danger she might be in cloud his mind. He tries not to focus on it but it seems that is all he can think about at the moment. Rolling over onto his back he stares up at the ceiling again and tries a new tactic of keeping his mind away from those dark and disturbing thoughts. Closing his eyes he focuses on Judy, but not on what is happening to her. This time, he focuses on the bunny herself. He forms her in his mind's eye. Her big floppy ears perked up and a big smile on her face like when she finally figured the whole mystery out. Her eyes how they would light up when she was happy. How soft her fur was and how warm her body was when he found her cuddled up to his chest that one morning. These thoughts help soothe his mind and he passes into something between sleep and wakefulness.

The daydream lasted long enough for darkness to envelop the room when Nick finally woke up. The world was dark and his mind was still thinking of dark things it shouldn't have, but focusing on Judy was enough to keep the fox calm for now. The false calm was nearing its end when Nick opened his eyes and the throbbing in his head reminded him of why he was where he was and tears welled up in his eyes. The memories of Judy were starting to be outshined by the dark fantasies of what torture she was probably being put through. He gritted his teeth trying not to focus on it, but he couldn't help it. Suddenly a creak brought him back to reality and he looked around the darkness. His night vision helped him see the room clearly and suddenly he sees a small figure sitting in the chair Ben was sitting in earlier. Sitting up slowly he squints his eyes trying to see who it is "Finnick," he asks softly.

The figure shakes its head "nope," it says.

The voice makes Nick stop and think for a moment. It sounded familiar like he had heard it long ago. "Who are you," he asks "where'd you come from?"

The figure chuckles "oh I think you know who I am," the voice says again.

Nick realizes it's a child's voice but it just adds to his confusion "what are you doing in here kid," he asks "why are you here?"

"Questions, questions, questions," the kid replies "jeez so many questions just stop and think you know who I am, but honestly, I have no idea why I'm here."

Nick looks around the room again and sees a small lamp sitting on the table beside the bed he was laying in and he leans over and flips it on. Suddenly the dark figure is caught in the light and Nick almost can't believe his eyes. Sitting in the chair next to the bed was his younger self wearing, of all things, the junior ranger scouts uniform. "I have officially lost my mind," Nick says his ears going flat against his head he puts his hands to his head "oh I knew this would happen."

The younger Nick sits there and begins to laugh "you're not going crazy," he says

Nick looks at his younger self again "don't tell me what I am and am not you…" Nick fumbles for the correct description "hallucination."

"You're being melodramatic," the young fox says "you know you're not going crazy."

Nick lets out a dry laugh "yeah I'm just sitting here hallucinating my younger self because I'm totally sane," he says.

The young fox shrugs "well if you ask me I think I'm here cause you need to get over something in your mind," he says "that's just what I think anyway."

Nick takes a few deep breaths and then thinks to himself 'focus Nick you're not crazy this is just a dream you need to wake up now,'

Young Nick chimes in "you're not asleep," he says "you are just having a crisis at the moment."

Nick closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them looking at his younger self again and sighs "fine this is happening then," he says "what do you want? If it's nothing then go away and let me be sane again."

The younger nick shrugs "I'm just a figment of your imagination really," he says "honestly the only reason I think I'm here like I said is that you need to get over something in your mind."

Nick sits there confused "what could I possibly need to get over in my mind, whatever than means." This garners him a shrug from the younger Nick. The fox sighs and looks down at the sheets of the bed. If he was being honest with himself he knew what darkness in his mind was currently plaguing him. Judy. She herself was not the darkness, but the absence of her was. She had been a light that was shined at the darkest parts of his mind looking for the demons that slept there. He had forced himself to cope with his past demons. Subduing them and burying them so deep within his own mind that they only emerged in the worst of his nightmares. He forgot about them almost, but not completely. When he met Judy that one day he saw a glimmer of what he once was in the rabbit. He saw that with a lot of the new citizens to Zootopia. They all came to the city to "be anything" or so it goes. It wasn't anything special, but it became special when he saw the rabbit again and she was even more persistent. Her bullheadedness cut into his slick demeanor. After she had saved him from the police he felt old demons rumble from deep within. The feeling of love and acceptance was starting to shine a light on old scars that had never really healed, only been covered up. The rabbit had seen them as well when she came to his rescue that night he had his worst nightmare ever.

Nick lifts his head to focus on the wall and with a single thought in his mind he speaks. "Help me," he says.

The younger Nick slides off the chair and approaches him and reaches his paw out "to do that you need to confront yourself," the young nick's voice still sounding young is filled with a wise and old inflection that startles Nick at first, but he turns his head and watches as the younger him places his small paw upon his arm. The world goes black for Nick as he passes out.

His eyes open and adjust to the low light. He looks around finding himself standing in the street and looks ahead at the building directly in front of him. He is just in time to see his younger self run out of the front doors of the building and run down a dark alleyway and collapse half way down struggling. Nick is alarmed and rushes to his aid, but as he approaches he sees what is going on and understands where he is. He watches in the dim light as his younger self pries a muzzle off and throws it away where it skids to a halt a few feet away. He feels a sudden anxiety fill him as he looks at the muzzle but the scene freezes and the younger Nick stands up and turns to face him. "This," his younger self says motioning around "is where everything started for you. You fled from yourself here."

Nick is confused "what do you mean," he says and looks back "those…bullies they harassed us…me…they are the ones who did this. What could I have done to change that?"

"Nothing at all," the younger fox replies "but you could have not let it change you. You were still able to be everything they thought you couldn't, but you ran and hid." The younger Nick eyes him with quite resolve.

Nick looks at the ground trying to keep emotions of the memory under control. His fear of the muzzle laying so close was beginning to overwhelm him slightly, but he looked away from it and his response was cold and bitter. "You're one to talk you were just doing the same thing I did," he says chewing each word before spitting it out.

The young fox sighs "I cannot change what decisions you made no matter how much you wish I could," he replies with a calm tone "this is just a simple memory, but one you chose to remember so vividly it has shaped how you feel about the world."

"So what is this supposed to do to help me huh?!" Nick felt hysterical for a moment as he tried to process the situation. He was scared by how vivid the memory was to him when he thought about it. It was a powerful moment in his life. It opened his eyes to how horrible others could be to him just because of what he was.

The young fox replies with a simple answer "let it go," he says "it is literally that simple. You keep this memory vivid by how much you despised it and how much it hurt you. So just let it go accept it happened and then decide it is not going to keep you chained down. You let the emotions you felt this night fuel your fear of the world."

Nick looked around and thought for a moment. His thoughts drifted to what happened that night. What the kids did to him when he was so young. So naïve about the world. He let the young fox's words sink in and then with a deep breath he tried to let it go. He watched as the memory began to dissolve around him. He let the fear go and a warmth replaced it. He thought about how much anger he felt and then let it go too. The emotions that replaced it felt so familiar. Then it struck him like lightning. Judy made him feel this way when she was constantly there for him. He focused on her and the world grew warm and bright. The dark alleyway disappeared and he found himself standing on a street corner looking down at the rabbit. It was the first time they met. It was frozen in time as if he was looking at a picture. She had an angered look on her face and he figured it was because she found out he was just a low life con artist.

The young fox appears at his side "let's try something easier," he says "this is familiar isn't it?" Nick nods in response "you remember what she told you right?"

"Not entirely really," he replies "something about not just being a fake cop…I remember telling her how it was all just a fantasy and that she was just a rabbit…how this world was just going to eat her up." He bit his tongue remembering what he had told the rabbit. He hated himself for trying to ruin her life like his way. Lucky for him she wasn't as easy to dissuade from being what she wanted to be. "What am I supposed to learn from this?"

"Look at her," the younger fox says "see that look in her eyes? Even after all you said to her it never went away. She was still hopeful that what you said wasn't true. You may not be able to see what she is thinking, but you can sure tell she isn't going to let what one fox says make her believe she can't make it." He turns and walks away "come on we have one more memory to go through so you can finally figure it all out."

Nick turns to follow him "you know a lot for not being real."

"I am you remember. I am just the part of you that is trying to get the rest of you to think clearly." The young fox rounds a corner and when Nick follows him the scene changes and he sees something that makes his heart skip a few beats.

He is standing there watching as a younger him, wearing a faded junior ranger scout's uniform, trudge up the steps of his old home. The door opens basking light on the damp figure and Nick watches his mother step out and check the young fox out. She looks worried as she ushers the fox into the warmth of the apartment. Nick approaches the window and looks in and sees what's going on. He remembers this night clearly. His mother finally found out after about a year that Nick had not actually been going to the JRS meets and instead was just pretending and then disappearing into the city for a few hours. He doesn't notice when his younger self tugs at his shirt and only pays attention when he hears his name called. He looks down and sees his younger self standing there and notices the memory is frozen.

"Acceptance can go a long way," the young fox says.

Nick looks back through the window and sees the frozen scene of his mother as she is wrapping a towel around a cold and wet Nick. "What am I supposed to learn from this then?"

"This one is for you to figure out," the younger fox says "think about what's going on and why it happened."

Nick was about to ask what that meant but as he turned to look down he saw the young fox had vanished. So, he thought about the memory. His mother was distraught by what happened. She tried so hard to help him forget it. He pushed her away when she did that. He had kept that night a secret, for that very reason. He didn't want anyone, even his own mother, to see his as weak. He came to the realization of the memory and again the bunny filled his mind. She was there to help him and he let her. It was the first step in the right direction and for once he connected the dots. He closed his eyes "I'm sorry I ever pushed you away mom," he says softly under his breath "I only wish I could tell you that in person." The darkness encompasses him again and he feels weightless when he opens his eyes and looks around.

"So has this brief tour of your memory helped?" a voice asks from the darkness.

Nick nods "yeah," he says and then feels his feet touch solid ground and he stands up and suddenly his younger self appears in front of him.

"Your past is very tangled and even this won't help entirely," the fox says "but this is a great step forward, but now you need to focus on what you need to do and stop tearing yourself apart."

Nick takes a knee so he is face to face with the young fox "I know," he says "I've known this the entire time I just needed to figure it out." He holds his arms open and the young fox walks into them and Nick embraces himself. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now wake up."

Nicks eyes open and he is laying on the bed in Clawhauser's apartment. The sun is shining through the window and casting a warm glow across the bed. Nick smiles as his mind is finally clear of the plaguing thoughts. He no longer fears the darkness behind his eyes, but he still is weary to venture too deep into thought out the present or what the future holds. He only knows one thing for certain at that very moment. He must recuse Judy Hopps. Her and his own life depended on it.

* * *

 **For multiple reasons I am not going to set an upload date for the next chapter. One being I hate working on a schedule, and two I like to make it a surprise. Not only for you guys but myself as well. It always surprises me when inspiration hits me. Anyway Silverstream sigining off. Chaio.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Ch 12 The Rescue**

 **Hello, my friends. I am here to bring you the twelfth chapter of Collars. I am also hear to say that this is the third to last chapter of the series so I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far as it is reaching its close. Anyway without further ado here is The Rescue.**

Nick stood there broad shouldered and determined. He was ten feet away from the bridge that led to the asylum and he had been spotted already. He watched as about twenty wolves wielding dart rifles rushed at him and he was soon surrounded. He wasn't scared as he looked around making sure to look each one in the eye. "Hey fellas how are you today?" he gave them all a cheeky smirk, but it didn't last long as soon he heard one of the guns fire and didn't even feel himself hit the ground.

* * *

 **Two Hours Ago**

Nick was pacing Ben's apartment it had been a week already and his anxiety had been steadily increasing all the while. He was now healed enough to move without giving himself a headache and so with Ben and Finnick's help, they orchestrated a plan to save Judy. All he had to do was wait, and that was not something he could easily do at the moment. Soon he heard the buzzer go off and ran to the door and opened it and saw Ben standing on the front porch in his police uniform. He hit the button that unlocked the door and Ben stepped in. "Is it ready?" Nick's worry filled his voice.

"Come on it's about time we need to get you over there," Ben said nodding his head.

Nick followed his friend out of the apartment utterly relieved that their plan was coming together. "So, Finnick is in place, right?" Nick asks as he sits down in the car Finnick had gotten somewhere for them.

"Yeah all you need to do is go in, get Judy, and make your way back to the bridge and everything else is on him." The car's engine turns and soon they're off driving through the now sunlit city of Zootopia "I have to get back to the precinct so I can only drop you off, but if everything goes to plan Judy will be safe and I can then give Bogo the files from the video camera."

Go in and get Judy that is all Nick needed to do. The video camera was thankfully saved due to Ben's know how on tech. "Thank you, Ben," Nick says "you've done so much more for Judy and I than we could ever have hoped for."

Ben chuckles, smiling "It is the least I could do for you two," he says "just get her out alive ok we need her."

The rest of the car ride is quiet and soon Nick finds himself walking along the deserted winding road leading to Cliffside and furthermore leading to Judy. "I'm almost there carrots please be ok."

* * *

 **Present**

There was a constant pressure that filled Nicks head threatening to burst when his eyes finally slid open. The first thing he took in was the white washed walls around him that gave him the feeling of a hospital. The second thing was not as inviting. He went slightly cross-eyed when he noticed the muzzle clamped firmly around his face and his old fears emerged briefly as he struggled to move. It was then he noticed that he was strapped to a chair. Straps around his legs and wrists held him down while a strap around his chest held him firmly to the back of the cushioned chair. He couldn't move even an inch as much as he tried. He calmed himself instantly to assess the situation and find a way out. He began to test each strap. First he tried to push himself forward to see if the strap around his chest was loose to find it was not. Next his legs: first the right, and then the left. Again nothing was going to budge. He tried to lift his left hand off the armrest and it too was firmly planted to the chair. He sighed almost defeated when he tried his right. Rrrrrriiiiiiiip. The leather strap was beginning to tear away ever so slightly from the chair and he smiled. He instantly stopped when he heard a door open and the sound of someone wheeling something in.

A rather big ram comes into view wheeling a metal cart and parking it a few feet in front of the chair Nick is stuck in. The cart has one item on it a rather small silver suitcase. The ram looks over to Nick and a small smile crosses his face. "Awake I see," he says "good timing just about to wake you up, but seeing as you've taken that fun away from me I guess I'll just have to get to the main event." He turns back to the cart and begins to open the latches of the case. "You and your little bunny friend have been busy bodies," he says over his shoulder as he opens the case and begins to rummage through its small contents. Nick sees him set out a few syringes and small bottles of clear liquid. "Thought you had us didn't ya," the ram says turning his head to look at Nick "got a little info and thought you could just waltz on in here and blow this whole thing wide open." Nick just gave the ram a steely-eyed look. "Tough guy huh," he gives a small laugh "we'll see how tough you are once I'm done with you." At that point, the ram had everything out of the case and turned around holding something in his hand. "See this fox," he walks closer letting Nick get a good look. In the ram's hand was a metal link strapped collar. Nick almost lost his cool demeanor at the sight but recovered quickly. Not fast enough for the ram to see the glimpse of fear in his eyes, though. "Heh, that's right it's a collar. New design gonna come down the line in a few days for all the pathetic preds to get," he chuckles "looks good and feels good is what I'm told also its jam-packed with a little something extra, but I can't spoil the surprise." He walks a bit closer "Just gotta see how the shock function works never got to test it before," he says "and you look like just the right animal to test it on." Before he can get any closer the door opens again.

"Doug," it's a deeper huskier voice "Bellweather needs to see you."

The ram groans "I am in the middle of something she can wait."

"You don't want to piss her off it should just take a few minutes," the animal speaking almost sounded worried.

The ram sighs and turns around walking to the cart and sets the collar back in the case and walks to the door. "Fine," he says "keep an eye on him if he gets unruly just dose him with a bit of anesthetic I left some on the cart in there. Don't do too much I don't want to have to wait for him to wake up again."

Nick hears the door close and the room goes silent. He immediately wrestles with the right strap until it rips far enough for his hand to slip out. He quickly unbuckles the other straps and then in a frantic haste tears the muzzle off his face and it clatters against the ground. He stops dead and listens for the door, but it doesn't open so he stands up and looks around. The room is empty of anything other than the cart and the chair. He begins to think of a way to get past the guard when he remembers what that ram said. He looks over at the cart and sees three syringes and rushes over to it picking the bottle up and looking at it. "Just the stuff doctors use to put you under I guess," he mutters to himself as he picks up a syringe and plugs it through the thin aluminum top the bottle has and fills the syringe up. He doesn't know how big the guy on the other side of the door is so he plays it safe only putting about 150 milligrams in the syringe before setting the bottle down. He rushes over to the door and plants himself against the wall so that when the door opens it blocks him from view. He takes a deep breath and slams his hand against the door. "Get in here there's a fire!"

The door flies open and Nick stops it from hitting him and he sees a figure walk in. It is one of the timber wolf guards and he sees the chair empty and is about to turn around when Nick launches himself onto his back. "Arrg what the hell get off me!" The wolf flails around, but Nick is still able to slam the syringe into his neck and pumps the drug into him. The wolf manages to throw Nick off his back, but as he turns to face him he starts to wobble on his feet. "Whaa..what did you do t…to mmme." The wolf falls to his knees. The drug wasn't enough to knock him out but it put him in a stupor. Nick rushes forward, and thinking quickly kicks the wolf in the side of the head knocking him out cold.

Nick stands there panting and then turns to run out the door when his foot kicks something and it slides across the floor. He pulls his foot up clutching it hopping on the other cursing when he looks at what he stubbed it on. A silver handgun sits just a few feet away. Nick figured the guards were outfitted with a bit more heat than just dart guns, but he didn't expect he'd be under a heavier guard than that. He thinks for a second before walking over to it and picking it up. He'd need to keep Judy safe in any way possible, he just hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

Long white washed hallways were all he could find. Sometimes the occasional door, but none of them had Judy behind them. He almost ran into guards three times already so when he heard footsteps he immediately planted himself against the wall and waited hoping it wasn't another timber wolf. "Come on Honey," a small voice filled the hall "just find a way to do it and then do it." Nick watched as a honey badger turned the corner. Her face was buried in a clipboard and she took no notice of the red fox as she continued on mumbling to herself. It wasn't until Nick stopped her and she heard the click of the gun that she stopped talking.

"Ok listen," Nick says "I really don't want to use this thing, but I need one thing from you."

The badger gulps "y-yeah anything." She doesn't dare turn her head to see who is holding the gun.

"Take me to Judy Hopps right now," he lets his voice fill with the anger that was bubbling inside of him all week. The badger let out a small whimper and nodded and she began to walk with Nick right behind her. She led him straight to and elevator and pushed the button. The ding sounded and the doors opened. Empty. They stepped in Nick made sure to stay behind the Badger so she didn't get a good look at him and she pressed the button for the third floor.

"Please don't shoot me," she says in a small voice "just let me go when we get there and I won't breathe a word." Her voice is trembling.

Nick feels a lump like iron settle in his gut. He was being a monster to fight a monster and he hated it. "We'll see," is all he says as the elevator dings and the doors slide open again. This floor is much more populated with guards around every corner, but the Badger knows just how to get past them as she leads Nick through several rooms and finally they arrive at a door with a label on it "interrogation room" the badger opens the door and Nick almost drops the gun when he sees what he came for.

Judy is a mess. Her fur is all matted and torn in places. She is only wearing a white tank top and the black pants she was wearing the night they broke in. The worst part is that her left arm is bent oddly and Nick can see a deep gash going across her stomach that was bandaged poorly. She has been cuffed to a hard plastic chair that she managed to topple over onto its side as if in an attempt to escape. Her eyes drift open slightly and she murmurs something but goes silent again. Nick practically flies into the room, dropping the gun, and to her leaving the Badger at the door. He gently picks the chair up and sets it right side up and looks at the cuffs that are holding Judy there. "Damn it I need a key," he snarls, but he feels a hand on his shoulder and looks over it to see the badger there. She holds out a silver key and he takes it "but…what how did you get this and why are you helping me?"

The badger smiles slightly "I was actually coming up here to check up on her and re-bandage that wound," the badger says with sorrow in her voice "that monster Doug did this. I was told to keep her alive I'm sorry that this happened to her."

Nick gave her a small smile "Thank you," he says "I'm sorry too, but right now I need to get her out of here."

"There is another elevator at the end of the hall it opens up at the lobby to the asylum," the badger says quickly "you can take it and get out as fast as you can I can lure the guards away. It's all I can do to help."

Nick looks at Judy and then nods "do it." The Badger nods and runs out of the room leaving Nick to unlock the cuffs and pick Judy up gently. The bunny groans in pain but hangs limp in his arms almost as if she were dead. "Stay with me carrots we're getting you out of here." Judy's eyes open slightly again and she mumbles something and then slips unconscious again. Nick rushes to the door making sure not to let the bunny jostle around too much and he looks into the hall. "He is still on the second floor I barely got away, He's got a gun!" the badger's voice flows through the hall and soon Nick sees a small army run through the hall and leaving the way to the elevator clear. Nick makes his way down the hall and to the elevator and presses the button. Seconds later the doors are sliding open and he is pressing the ground floor button. As the elevator makes it's decent an alarm goes off through the building. The doors open and he rushes out and into the lobby of the building. The room is surprisingly clear and so they are able to make it out of the building and Nick begins to rush to the bridge. He ignores the wolves that are now noticing him and yelling for him to stop and he runs onto the bridge stopping as the other side is blockaded by a line of wolves with their rifles all aimed at him. He looks over his shoulder to see the same thing behind him and then he takes a deep breath and smiles. "Darn boys looks like you caught us," he says calmly "no way out now." He steps closer to the edge of the bridge and peers over it and then steps up onto the barrier careful to keep Judy firmly in his grip. "Well, you know now that I think about it there's always a way out."

"Step down from the ledge now!" a wolf yells at him as they draw closer.

"Yeah no," he takes a step back and falls out of sight. The wolves all converge to see if they can see them in the river below, but as they make it to the edge a huge balloon rises up into view. Nick is standing on the deck of the blimp and he waves at the wolves as the aircraft turns towards Zootopia and slowly chugs away. Nick ducks down as a hail of darts come flying at them and embed themselves into the wooden deck as well as a few hit the balloon itself. Nick stand back up and looks to see that Cliffside is becoming further away and smaller. He did it.

"Nick," a friendly voice says and Nick feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see Ben standing there "You did it!" The cheetah pulls him into a bone crushing hug before letting him go. "Also I was able to get that footage to Bogo," he says "he reviewed it and told me if I wanted to keep my job and not get arrested I have to bring you and Judy in today."

Nick nods "we need to get Judy help as fast as we can first." He looked over at the bunny. She was laying on the deck with Ben coat over her. She was shivering but burning up at the same time most likely from and infection.

Ben nods as well "Don't worry Nick she'll make it."

"Yo, no love for your pal over here," Nick looks over to see Finnick at the wheel of the blimp "I mean it wasn't entirely easy to get this blimp and also no easy to keep it hovering next to that waterfall all night and day."

"Finny it wouldn't have been possible without you," Nick smiles at his friend.

Finnick just growls and looks away "you're welcome…fool."

Nick goes and sits beside Judy putting a hand to her burning head. He sighs and leans against the side of the deck and closes his eyes. "You'll be ok Jude, I promised to keep you safe after all." He smiles and enjoys the moment of freedom. They were safely on their way to the city and almost had the entire conspiracy dismantled. All they needed to do was meet with the chief of police.


End file.
